Fate of the Wicked
by Cybertramon001
Summary: Angra Mainyu was cheated out of his rebirth by the last members of the Holy Grail War. The two heroes ruined everything. But this time he has a better plan. He will summon 'heroes' from other worlds, Spirits that flourish from chaos, to bring about his goal. But like all plans involving chaos, things don't go according to plan. Sequel to 'Fate of the Strong'. Rated M for violence.
1. The First Step

**Well, I think I've waited long enough. I still haven't really watched all the episodes, but I can get enough of the general story to make my own. Besides, it'll be good for me to try and write my own action again. I just hope I can get my chapters long enough. My first try for this clocked in at only 3,000 words. Way too short, and not enough action. I've got some great ideas for fights.**

**So enjoy the sequel to Fate of the Strong.**

Chapter 1: The First Step

**(9:15pm Sunday, Tohsaka Mansion)**

Rin Tohsaka winced as she heard a loud crash coming from another room. She rushed over to the sound, hoping that it wasn't _quite_ as bad as it seemed. She was right. It was worse.

There was a large hole in the roof, and the furniture inside was mangled nearly beyond repair. She must've messed something up when she did the summoning process. A rookie mistake. She'll have to try harder with her next spells.

She had been surprised when she found the Command Seals on her hand. Each Holy Grail War needed 60 years to fully charge enough to summon the Servants, Heroic Spirits of the past. But here she was, 10 years after the last one and it seemed raring to go. She hoped she got a Saber class. They were the best of the classes and very reliable. When they made a promise, they kept it. Not like that liar that her Father…

"_Keep it together Rin."_ She told herself, calming down. _"Focus on winning. Focus on making Father proud."_ A loud cough brought her back to her senses. She looked over at a crumpled bed to see a knight walking over to her. The knight was very slim, especially at the waist. Possibly female. The armour was a dark-grey, with flared pieces around the legs and extra plating on the arms. The plating was minimal around the joints and segmented around the sides. The helmet was without any openings, leaving her wondering how she could see. It was pointed, yet curved around the face area. They stood, watching each other, wondering how to act.

"Sup homie." The knight said, her words at odds with her appearance. "Guess you're my _master_ then. You may call me Archer the Fucking Awesome."

Rin's heart plummeted with each passing moment. Instead of a noble Saber, she had been given a vulgar Archer. Still, Archer **was** one of the Knight classes. They still had a chance.

"Well then. You may call me Master. Or Ms Tohsaka." She expected some decorum, even from someone so vulgar. Once again, her hopes were dashed when Archer snorted.

"Fuck that. I think I'll call you…" She stopped, looking Rin up and down before continuing. "…Sexy Legs."

"What? No!" Rin felt like everything was falling apart. "If you aren't going to be formal, then you could at least call me Rin."

"Sure thing Sexy Legs. Now, where are some mother-fuckers to murder?"

"It hasn't really started yet." Rin gritted. "We're apparently still waiting on a Saber. Now, we need to do some planning. I recommend that we start… Hey! Where are you going?" Archer was walking into the hallway.

"Your stuff sounds like shit. I'm gonna get a beer, maybe snort some cocaine and fuck a dozen guys and girls. Wanna join?"

"What? NO! We need to have a plan. Or are you just going to kill anything that isn't us?"

"That _is_ my plan. You know, you _really_ look like you could use that sex. Maybe it'll help take that stick outta your sweet ass. Now do you have beer or do I have to go out and get it?"

Rin felt like crying. Nothing was going right. Something had clearly gone **very, very** wrong. What kind of knight talks like a gangster?

"_Stay focused Rin."_ She kept telling herself. _"Stay focused, stay focused stayfocusedstayfocused…"_

* * *

**(1 week earlier, Unknown House in Fuyuki City)**

Reginald Archipelago smiled an evil grin as he completed the summoning ritual. Perfect. He had been waiting his whole life to take part in the Holy Grail War. Indeed his family had been preparing for this moment, marrying into powerful families to gain the necessary bloodline to be chosen. He almost went mad when the Grail War happened 10 years ago and he missed out, but all signs are pointing to another War within a few days. He did everything he could to ensure he summoned a powerful Servant that would crush the opposition. He shielded his eyes as the room was filled with bright light. When he could finally lower his hand, he nearly cursed in shock.

His Servant didn't look all that powerful. In fact, with his rainbow robes and face markings he looked like some kind of clown or jester. No two items of clothing had the same colour, ranging from dull reds to vibrant yellows. His face was completely white, with red eyeliner and a giant purple mouth painted on his face that curved towards his ears. His blond hair was tied back by peacock feathers, and he held one corner of his long flowing cape-thing daintily in one hand.

"Oh now this won't do, this just won't do." The Servant said in a high-pitched voice. "There's mud all over my clean shoes. And not a servant to be found to clean them. How dare someone leave mud for me to…? Oh, wait. False alarm. It's just blood." He started giving a chilling giggle. "Oh I love the sight of blood on my shoes. It reminds me of the time when I was so against getting sand on them that I strapped two very helpful guards to my feet. That was the best desert day ever."

"Silence Servant." Reginald hissed. "You belong to me now, and you will obey my every command." He pulled out a photo of his ex-girlfriend. How dare she dump him for being crazy? He wasn't crazy at all. And he'll show her by using this dammed Servant to kill her. He looked back up at him, and recoiled as he found the jester right in his face.

"I want a pony." The Servant said. "I never go anywhere without one somewhere. They're so cute and they make the funniest noises. Get me a pony, boy."

"I will not get you a horse. I am your master and you will obey me."

"But I don't want a horse. And I don't want orders. I want a pony!" He started crying like a baby, wriggling on the floor and throwing a tantrum. This was his powerful Servant? He was a joke. A pathetic joke. Someone must've obviously sabotaged him. It was the only thing that made sense. "I know." The Servant shouted as he sprung up to his feet. "I can make a pony. And I know just where to find one."

* * *

**(3 hours later, Near Ryuudouji Temple)**

"I suppose in hindsight it _was_ a bit silly to use intestines for a girdle. Or stomach lining for the saddle. But they're both just so comfy right Master?" Reginald could only whimper in horror. "And those rocks in your backyard! Oh, they make such fine hooves. Shame you didn't have any horseshoes. That would've been wonderful. Or perhaps just weird. I mean who keeps horseshoes if they don't have a horse? They do poorly as anything else. You can't even shave with them." Reginald whimpered again, hoping that someone would find them and put him out of his misery. "Ah. There's the Temple. Ooh, I can _feel_ the mana coming from that place from here. Chop-chop master, or I'll chop-chop you for being such a bad pony. And smile already. That's why I removed your head and put it back on upside down. You know the old saying. Turn that frown upside down." As Reginald passed a nearby sheet of glass, he could see the horror that was him reflected back at him.

His hands and feet had been removed, replaced by large rocks that had been fused with the stumps. His waist had been sliced open and rearranged to make his legs shorter, while his head was shaved and on back-to-front. His chest was split open, his stomach now on his back and his intestines pushed through his skull. He hadn't summoned a jester. He summoned a monster. He summoned pure evil. The Servant, Caster, hummed a merry tune as they clip-clopped their way up the stairs to the Temple. Maybe its power will kill him. He could only wish for that.

"Ah, we made it." Caster crowed as Reginald took the last step. "Splendid, splendid. This is almost as good as the time I rode a man turned into a pony up the stairs to a Temple. Now, yip-yip." He whipped the reins, kicking Reginald's sides with his heels. And he did it again when they failed to move. "Curse you, you cockamamie badger. Move!" He hopped off, grumbling to himself as he took a closer look at his former master. If he had been an animated character, a light bulb would've lit up. "Oh right. You're sleeping. I knew there was a reason people needed blood and organs. Oh well. We're here now at any rate. And I don't have to worry about fading away while I'm standing here. Now, I'm sure there's a room for hire here somewhere. Or I could just make one. It's not like anyone goes to temples anymore. And if they do, well more guests for my tea party." He jumped and clicked his heels at the happy thought.

Reginald kept standing upright until his body collapsed into several pieces.

* * *

**(5 days ago, Matou Manor)**

Sakura breathed deeply as she meditated, readying herself for the summoning. After Uncle Kariya had died during the Great Fuyuki Fire, Uncle Byakuya took her in. He would've happily dumped her in the streets if it wasn't for the fact that he was worried she'd come back to him and break him with her unnatural strength. She wouldn't really do that – she could easily just head off to the local orphanage – but it kept her inside a nice house and with good food. Then he died seven years ago, the local priest Kirei Kotomine agreed to be their caregiver. He was also the caregiver of her sister, Rin Tohsaka, but fortunately they never met except for school. They had both agreed to a simple system. They both simply pretended that they didn't know each other. Sakura knew that Rin was too young at the time to stop her being offered to the Matous, but part of her still wished she had said something that night. But she mostly pitied her. She heard from a drunken Byakuya that both their parents died before the fire, most likely killed by the serial killer that had been running around at the time. Even though she hated them, she still cried whenever she thought about them.

Then last week, Kirei came to her and told her the truth about that night with the fire. Uncle Kariya had been part of a magic war called the Holy Grail War. Seven Magi summoned sever Servants to fight one another, and whoever was left standing would be granted one wish by the Grail. He had been fighting to rescue Rin and Mom from Dad, so that they could start a family together. But the Servant Saber killed Uncle Kariya, but not before killing Mom and Dad too. He then used the Grail to wish for the fire, killing all those people because he could. Now she was being offered a part in the War, a chance to wish for her deepest desire. But she didn't have any. She didn't really think that a magic item could bring back the dead. All her studies showed that at worst it made Dead Apostles. She didn't want to bring anyone back as monsters. But she was the only one with the power. Her new brother, Shinji, didn't have any magic at all. He couldn't summon hot air let alone a Servant. But Kirei mentioned a compromise. He showed her a book called 'The Book of False Attendant'. He said that it would act like a Command Seal, allowing whoever held it to command the Servant bound to it. As long as she summoned the Servant, Shinji would be able to command it. That was alright with her. Shinji may be an asshole, but she could tell it was because he was scared. He lost his whole family now, and the only thing that would've made him special was the one thing he could never have. This was as close as he could get, and he needed it. So she agreed.

And here they are.

They started coughing as dust was blown around by the summoning process. She could hear Shinji cursing up his own storm somewhere in the room. After several moments, the dust cleared enough for them to see each other. And the Servant. Sakura gasped as she saw her.

She looked like a warrior from the future, wearing pitch-black armour that covered her whole body. Her chest armour curved around her breasts and accentuated them with yellow markings. Two red lines led down to her waist, where they intersected with a belt-like thing. She had large shoulder panels that curved around with red lines, before leading down to thick gauntlets with yellow panels sticking past the elbow. Her leg armour was also curved like the chest plate, with only the upper thigh decorated with similar yellow markings. Finally, her head was mostly covered by a helmet with a red visor over the upper part of her face, with only an opening around her mouth showing that she had dark skin and black lipstick. She looked so strong, standing there in a military pose.

"Greetings." She said in a deep authoritative voice. "I am Commander Shepard of the Systems Alliance. For the duration of this War I will be going under the designation of Rider class. Which one of you is my commanding officer?"

"Um…" Sakura mumbled, humbled by being in the presence of such a strong warrior. "Well, I'm the one that summoned you. But my brother will be your master with the Book of False Attainment." Shinji smirked as he showed off the book. Rider stared at him for a moment, as if sizing him up.

"That book is empowered by a Command Seal. That must be why I feel a draw to it. If you haven't summoned me yourself, then you mustn't have many magic circuits to draw on." He bristled as she casually pointed that out to him. "I suppose we're all fortunate that I can still feel a slight draw of energy from your sister."

"Yeah well _I'm_ the one holding the book. That means I'm your master, not her. And you will treat me with respect." That seemed like a bad move. Rider rushed across the room faster than they could react, and was now right up in his face.

"Understand this, Sir. While you may hold onto my Command Seals, unless you're willing to waste them I don't actually have to obey any order you give me. I would advise a civilian like you to stay out of my way and let me do my damn job." And with that, she stalked out of the basement they were doing the summoning in. Sakura kept herself from laughing at Shinji as he glared up the stairs before rushing off. There was a noticeable dark patch where he had been sitting.

She wanted him to feel better about himself, but she didn't want him to become a bully.

* * *

**(2 days ago, Ryuudouji Temple)**

Caster giggled as he finalised the summoning ritual. Sure the rules said that only a Magus could summon a Servant, but he was sort of a Magus and rules were made to be broken. Well, technically they were made to be followed and grind people down and amuse the fat cats high in their ivories thrones, but that was why they made to be broken. He could really go for a cat right now. They were so fluffy. And they tasted really good with this strange liquid he found called 'barbeque sauce'. What was he talking about again? Right, summoning.

Anyway, if a Magus was anyone that could use magic, then he fitted the bill. And he didn't recall there being anything saying he _couldn't_. He even had some help. Some guy called Souichirou Kuzuki. He had been the first person he spotted. Instead of acting so falsely polite or rude, he simply stated his intentions to remove any trespassers. He was such an interesting man that Caster decided to make him his master. Also, the fact that he managed to punch him pretty hard was a good sign. He would make a good playmate. He told the other guests that Caster was a travelling clown, and he made sure to get him to agree to not attack anyone. Fine by him. He could always have some fun later on, when everyone was too busy killing each other or something. For now, he was helping him with his summoning ritual. With a final cackle, the room was filled with black smoke as the Servant was summoned. Caster whipped up a small tornado to blow the smoke away. Can't make a good impression when you're black with smoke. Being black with blood was much better for first impressions. Once the smoke was clear, he took a good long look at his new friend.

It was a purple robot of some kind. He had a skeletal appearance, with his limbs being very narrow and pointed. His lower arms and legs were covered by an orange panel. His chest started off narrow at the bottom, before flaring up at the chest area. On his back was what looked like spikes that were almost like wings. And most notably, his head had a big green dome on top that had little gears spinning away like mad. Caster wondered if that was what the human brain looked like too. The Servant looked at them before growling in anger.

"Curses." He said in a screechy voice. "I'm reduced to obeying pathetic Squishies. Well no matter. I suppose I can handle it until I win the Holy Grail and get my wish. Soon, all evil will triumph over good again and again." Caster stared at him for a moment before squealing in delight.

"Oh wonderful. Wonderful! I _love_ having evil triumph over good. Those whippersnappers always ruining our plans. I just wanted to unmake all of creation. Was that really so wrong?"

"I know. How am I going to remove all Squishies if those brats keep ruining my plans?"

"Squishies?"

"Organics. Filthy, disgusting organics. I had a device that converted their loathsome flesh into pure machines. And it had the side-effect of making them instantly loyal to me."

"…That's not a side-effect. That's a feature. It'll look great when we sell it to the Grail." He gave off a loud cackle. "Oh, we're going to be the bestest of buds. I'm your master Caster."

"A Servant summoning a Servant? Genius. I suppose you can call me Assassin. Now, who's the Squishy?"

"Him? Oh, he's _my_ master. I don't think we're ready to kill many people yet, so he's agreed to let us stay here if we don't make a mess." The two Servants started shaking hands.

"Now, who's interested in a cup of oil?

* * *

**(6:00am Monday, Emiya Residence)**

It was a beautiful morning. The birds were all singing in the dew. The weather seemed promising and warm. Indeed, if it wasn't for the small cries of pain Monday was going to be perfect. Like 'look at me I'm so wonderful' perfect.

Right now though, Shirou Emiya decided that Monday could go fuck itself.

He was having another training session with his Uncle Arthas. His dad never really explained how they were related, only that he was a friend. Shirou first thought they were lovers, until Arthas spent some time with a female friend. Some girl called Beth who ran the local orphanage. Ever since the day Kiritsugu passed away, Arthas has been training him in all kinds of things. Right now they were training in sword fighting. Weeks spent learning the moves until he could do them in seconds. He thought he was unbeatable. Until Arthas had a practice match with him. It only took him a couple of seconds to make Shirou wonder if he had gone to Hell. They had trained like that for even more time, until Shirou actually landed a hit on Arthas. Then he got thrashed again. Turned out that Arthas had held back. According to him, where he trained it usually took a year to land a blow on someone of his skill. After the twentieth thrashing he wondered why anyone would learn to use a sword in this day and age. He actually said so after a rather painful thrashing.

"Shirou." Arthas said. "It is always important to have a means of defending yourself, no matter what day and age it is. A sword may have been more popular in the past, but that just means no one will expect you to use one when they jump you. And it is one of the most versatile weapons made. You can wield it with one hand or both, block with the blade, stab someone, slice them, bash them even. You can catch another's blade with the guard or hit them with the pommel. You can even channel spells through the blade depending on how it was made. Never underestimate the sword, Shirou. He who underestimates anyone rarely does it a second time." After that talk, every part of Shirou ached the next day. Today, they were having a real test. Shirou may have been hit several times, but it was definitely less than usual. They parried and struck at each other with their wooden swords, each trying their hardest to win the fight. After dodging a rather painful blow, Shirou saw an opening. He swung his blade in a feint, before knocking Arthas' away. The tip of his sword was pressed against his neck. Shirou was amazed. This was the first time during the whole training he had ever managed to disarm him. His luck was finally changing.

Sadly, it wasn't. Arthas was a blur, and the next thing he knew he was laying on the ground, his own sword against his throat. After a few seconds of this Arthas pulled him back up.

"Not bad kid." He said with a smile. Shirou tried to smile back, but his muscles refused to work right after that beating. "And before you ask, yes. I was still holding back." Shirou slumped over. At this rate he was never going to be as good as Arthas. "Get cleaned up and ready for school. Taiga will throw a fit if you're not ready when she gets here."

Shirou tried to be fast, really. But it's hard to be fast when half of your body was battered and bruised. He guessed that they should feel lucky that Fuji-nee understood his workout, otherwise people might think he's getting battered. But as Arthas kept saying, 'The world's a dangerous place. I can either coddle you and get you killed; or I can push you and help you survive'. Some days though, he wondered if Arthas was going to kill him first.

Once he finally got all his limbs working properly, he got to the dining room to find that Fuji-nee and Sakura were already waiting for him. And Fuji-nee did not look happy.

"Finally Shirou." she shouted. "What took you so long? We've been waiting for hours."

"Actually Sensei, we've only been waiting for a minute." Sakura said. She always came round to his place in the morning. He knew that her brother Shinji could be rude, but she always seemed to deflect any other attention away. He wished she would let him in, but he didn't really want to intrude on her privacy. That was what Fuji-nee was for.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to make sure everything was still attached after Arthas' training session."

"Oh, that man." Fuji-nee sighed. "Honestly. He takes this training of yours too seriously. What does he think this is, The Middle Ages?"

"If I thought it was The Middle Ages I'd be training him to stab people in the back, Taiga." Arthas said, having snuck up behind her while they were talking. Fuji-nee jumped nearly a foot when he showed up, but he didn't pay her any attention. He merely sat down and started eating. Strangely, the man never seemed to work up a sweat, no matter how hard the workouts were. "And how are you Ms Matou? Boys still giving you trouble?"

"No Mr Menethil. Your self-defence training was very useful."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now if only Taiga learned table manners as fast as you learnt defence." Fuji-nee was shovelling food into her mouth like a monkey. She mumbled something out, but everyone could tell she was letting Arthas know where he could shove that idea. In a few short minutes, everyone had filled up on breakfast and was raring to go to school.

"A moment Shirou." Arthas interrupted them. As Taiga and Sakura went on ahead, he pulled out a box from his suit jacket. When Shirou opened it, he found a small dagger in a sheath.

"Uh, thanks Arthas. But I'm pretty sure we're not allowed knives at school."

"It's not a knife." Arthas pulled the dagger out of the sheath, and Shirou watched as it grew and grew. It was soon the same size as the wooden sword Shirou had been training with. He placed the sheath on the end, and it shrunk back down to a dagger size. "By beating me today, you have proven yourself skilled enough to have your own blade. I have enchanted it for you so that it is easier to hide and impervious to all but the most powerful attacks. At those levels you will have bigger problems than a broken sword. Keep it on you at all times."

Shirou nodded, putting inside his pocket for now and rushing after Sakura. He didn't see Arthas' smile fade, as though he was in deep thought.

Arthas remembered the news about gas leaks leaving people unconscious. And he also remembered the last time that excuse was used.

"_It can't be time yet. Can it?"_

* * *

**(7:30am, Fuyuki)**

Shirou had been having a wonderful talk with Sakura when they found the crime scene. Police had cordoned off an entire house. All they could see was the front door. Or at least, what was left of it. Only a triangle attached to the hinges was left, and the edges seemed warped and burnt, like someone had taken a welding torch to the door.

"Oh my." Sakura said. "Do you think anyone got hurt?"

"I hope not." Shirou replied as they kept going. "But like my uncle says, the world is a dangerous place." Part of him thought it must've been a robbery. Cause if it hadn't been…If it had been something worse…

He balled up his hands in anger. If it was worse, then he would put all his training into capturing the bastard who did it.

* * *

**(8:40am, Fuyuki School)**

Rin felt like puking. When she woke up in the morning she had found a dozen prostitutes of both genders sleeping in her living room. And the place smelt like drugs and cigarettes. At least Archer agreed to clean up the mess if she would stop screeching. But still. Disobeying her orders; not having a plan of attack; getting high and sexed up? What kind of hero was she?

"Archer. Have you been able to detect of other Servants?"

Archer materialised next to her, still in that armour. Despite all the sex, she still had it on when Rin found her. Her appearance was still a mystery. "This Grail-thingy keeps telling me that Archers can't really detect Servants that far off. Seems really stupid if you ask me. Beer?" She waved the bottle in front of Rin's face.

"I'm in school. I can't be seen getting drunk." Rin was feeling more and more frustrated.

"You know you want to. God knows you were staring at the boys this morning. Still, Alejandro was pretty big wasn't he? I bet you wanted to shove that dick in you till you were…"

"Shut up. Not everyone is as interested in sex as you are, Archer." She rubbed her eyes in annoyance. "Look, how about this. If you agree to stop talking about sex and that kind of stuff and you definitely don't bring it home, then when you're not working you can do whatever you want within reason."

"Sounds good. But I should warn you that reason and I broke up ages ago."

"The sad part is that I can believe it." Rin deadpanned. She decided it would be better for her health and her sanity if she just went back to class for now. Archer looked around before fading away again. But no matter what, she always kept one eye open.

You don't run a massive gang by being stupid **all** the time.

* * *

**(7:30pm, Fuyuki)**

Shirou felt frustrated. It turned out that it was more than just a robbery. Someone had killed all the people in the house with some kind of strange weapon, like a stick of fire or something. He had kept thinking about the bastard, murdering others for no reason. Kiritsugu Emiya would've done something about it. He would be out there finding whoever did it.

It's a shame that Shirou wasn't looking around. He might've noticed some odd things going on. Over by the temple, a skeletal machine was watching over a path. A person in a futuristic spacesuit was flying around the skyscrapers in a futuristic hovering tank. And watching from a bridge was someone in a full-body robe. Carrying a 'stick of fire'.

As Shirou got closer to home, he noticed someone standing before him. It was a little girl, probably 12 or something. She had pure white hair and red eyes, dressed in a purple winter coat and hat. As they walked closer she kept giggling. And as she got closer, she spoke to him.

"You'd better hurry up and find someone mister, or you're gonna die."

Shirou spun around, but found that she had disappeared like a ghost.

What the hell was going on?

* * *

**(7:00pm, Fuyuki Streets)**

All was quiet as Arthas stalked the streets, thinking deeply about the signs he had seen. As much as he hated to admit it, the next Holy Grail War was beginning. It made sense, what with all the things going on. And if he concentrated, he could feel a vibration running through his whole body. The only thing he could do was see his old friend Bethany Seelie about this. The two of them had been Servants in the last Grail War. Arthas had been Saber, while Bethany was an Avenger class. They found out that the Grail was infected by Angra Mainyu, a god of Evil, and they destroyed its physical form. They were somehow granted bodies through the mud that formed from the destruction, and now they lived normal lives.

Bethany had originally been a regular an Almain of her world, a Noble Human. She had been part of a mission to keep an evil dragon named Tirnoch from ever returning to the world, a mission she died to fulfil. But a gnome called Fomorous Hugues had been working on a way to revive the dead, and she had been the only successful subject before the Well of Souls was attacked by the Tuatha Daohn. The Tuatha was a mad group of Elves that took over the Winter Court, determined to cleanse the world of all mortal races for Tirnoch. They were winning because Elves are reincarnated, while the mortal races stayed dead. And the Fateweavers foretold that they would win. You see, in the world of Amalur, Fate controls all things. Everyone is a part of it. If you are fated to die by a bear, then no matter what you do you will die by a bear. But Bethany was unique. Because she had died, she was immune to fate. She once compared it to a game of chess. Her piece had been removed from play, but she was somehow sneaked back onto the board with no one the wiser. She could sneak attack any other piece without being spotted, and change the course of victory. The Fateweavers were unnerved by her. They saw the fate of all things, and here was someone they couldn't see and who could change the fate of anyone. Enemies that had been undefeated for centuries fell before her might. Elves found their unchanging nature thwarted by her actions. And the Tuatha fell, one by one, to her weapons. She led the strike against their capital, and found an opening to Tirnoch. She was pulled in, and Tirnoch attempted to use her as a means of escaping her prison. But instead Bethany killed Tirnoch, and all of Fate with her. She lived a long full life, until she grew old and withered. She made Hugues promise not to revive her again, as she was done with life. It was time for others to make their own fate.

"Freeze pal." A hooded creep with a knife shouted as he jumped out of the alleyway. Arthas cursed as he spotted him. He had been so busy thinking that he didn't pay attention to his surroundings. "Give me your wallet, or I'll stick you with my knife."

Arthas smiled as he remembered his old master, Kiritsugu Emiya and his wife Irisviel. She had shown him a movie during the days before the last War started. One that came to mind was Crocodile Dundee, and one particular scene. "That's not a knife." He said, materialising his sword Frostmourne. "_This_ is a knife." The mugger paled as he saw how outclassed he was. "And telling me to freeze was a poor choice of words."

The mugger screamed as Arthas hit him with ice.

* * *

**(7:20, Fuyuki Orphanage for Lost Boys and Girls)**

"Oh, Mr. Menethil." The Secretary Lady, Yuuki, said as she spotted him come in. "Here to see Miss Seelie again?"

"Naturally." Arthas said politely, shaking some residue frost from his gloves. Everyone thought of the two as lovers, but they agreed to just be friends. He already hurt someone he cared about when they dated. He didn't want to hurt anyone else like that. He sat down at the nearby chairs, looking at the new artwork the orphans had drawn to brighten the place up. Many of them were happy pictures of family, of children being held by their fathers. Arthas remembered his own father. A good king, and a good father. He did everything he could to raise him as a valiant knight. And he succeeded too, until he fell to anger and was taken by the Lich King. He rode back pretending to be a hero, only to slaughter him upon his own throne. Now he was king of broken ruins and bones, of death and despair, and of nightmares.

"You really have a weird sense of timing." He heard Bethany say as she walked over to him. While the first time they had met she had been made of Fate Energy, she was now clothed in dark skin and blond hair. She wore long pants and a blouse, both slightly mussed from long work. She yawned as she led him to her office. "If I known looking after children was so difficult, I'd have let someone else look after the orphanage. I've only just got the last one to go to bed." She laughed a bit, before looking at him with a serious expression. "But I doubt you're here to talk about the children."

She was right. "I believe that the Holy Grail War is starting again."

"It can't be. Each War is at least 60 years apart. How can it be happening again already?"

"You forget that while events sabotaged the attempts, the mana was still nearly released to the world. But we destroyed the Grail before that could happen. Some of it was lost destroying Fuyuki City, but most of it remained. I imagine that was the only reason Angra Mainyu had to wait 10 years before making a move. All the signs fit. According to our research, Servants can acquire mana by draining civilians. And the police are covering up anything weird as 'gas leaks'."

"Do you think Kotomine will try anything?"

"I'm slightly more worried about the new Servants. At least Kotomine is a known problem. But we don't know what these Servants are capable of, or what they want to wish for. Hell, we don't even know if they're from this world, or some other world like we are."

Bethany sighed. "You're right Arthas. I'll keep an eye out for anything strange in my area. You should keep an eye on Kotomine and Berserker."

"Noted. But in the meantime we should make plans." He noticed the time and stood back up. "But that'll have to wait for another day. Shirou's probably heading back home right now."

"How is he? You beaten him to death training him, have you?"

"Hah. Not yet. In fact, he's learnt enough for me to give him his sword."

"Take care of him, Arthas. He's lost a lot as it is."

"I will."

**There we go, the first chapter. Some Servants are obvious. Others are less known. Can you guess who we have already? It's ok if you can't figure out who Archer is. In her game, you can make your character look like anyone. This is just what I had mine look like. And I hope I got Caster done well. I never really played his game, but he was perfect to be a villain. I always thought of him as being like the Joker. Let me know if I need to change anything about him.**

**And ever since I read about that movie scene I just had to include it.**


	2. I Ask of You, Are You My Master?

**And here is chapter 2. This one needed a bit more work. It originally started off during the fight at the school, and so was only 2,000 or so words long. But I refused to release a chapter that was that short. Part of the reason it was so short was because when I first wrote this out, I didn't feel up to watching the scenes with Shinji over and over again. But now that I feel more pumped up, I watched them until I had my new scenes.**

**And those of you that figured out who Caster was, good job. Guess that meant I did him well. I hope to continue writing him well in future chapters.**

Chapter 2: I Ask of You, Are You My Master?

**(8:00am Tuesday, Emiya Residence)**

"You made enough food to feed an army again." Shirou said as he sat down at the table. Sakura smiled as she saw him tuck into the food she made. She put a lot of effort into it. Mr Menethil entered around the same time, and smiled as he heard that.

"Indeed. As my family used to say, 'Even a horde of Orcs couldn't finish this meal'. We'll have enough for leftovers."

"Actually, most of this is for my lunch." Fujimura-sempai said as she started eating. "I've got a bit of a cash issue at the moment, and it was either this or borrow money from Arthas. I decided to go with the less scary choice."

"You're having Sakura make your lunch for you? Fuji-nee, that's totally abusing your authority over a student." Shirou replied in an annoyed tone. Sakura felt much happier when he defended her.

"It's alright. I love cooking." She replied truthfully. In fact, ever since Rider had shown up she'd needed to make even more food than usual. "Besides, if she enjoys my cooking then that makes me feel even better."

"I think it's really good." Mr Menethil said. "Like the food of Royalty." She believed him. Something about him seemed princely, but at the same time it was like he had forgotten how to be nice. All Shirou really knew was that he was a friend of Kiritsugu Emiya. But he didn't really know how they met in the first place. Sakura imagined them as brothers in arms, fighting as part of a mercenary group. They saved each other from all manner of fights, and won plenty of battles. It would certainly explain where he learnt the self-defence he taught her.

"Listen Shirou, if you're _that_ jealous that I've got a free lunch then swing on by the archery club at lunch break. I'll be more than happy to share it with you." Sakura nearly sighed as Fujimura-sensei tried to get Shirou to join the archery club again. He was good – probably from gruelling training with Mr Menethil – but he stopped one day. Shirou said it was because Mr Menethil had him so busy with other training, but she wondered if it was more than that.

"Nice try, but it's not going to happen. I've got work to do." Shirou brushed her off. Fujimura-sempai groaned theatrically in response before nearly flopping over the table. She yelped as she realised she was about to fall into food, and pulled herself away. But this motion caused her to crash into Shirou, who accidently threw his bowl of rice with a yelp. Mr Menethil nonchalantly dodged the flying bowl, letting it smash against the wall. As Shirou fell, he knocked another bowl flying towards her. She saw time slow down for her, until she could reach out and touch it gently. She put it back down on the table, before guzzling it to replenish the energy she used for that maneuverer. Shirou and Fujimura-sempai merely looked in shock at her.

"You're cleaning that up." Mr Menethil said, placing his empty bowl back on the table.

* * *

**(8:30am, Outside Fuyuki School)**

"Hey Sakura." Shirou said as they walked. "I _really_ appreciate you coming over every morning. God knows Arthas isn't a master chef. But I wish you'd agree to take weekends off. I feel bad, like I'm taking advantage of your trust. And I'm sure you've got friends besides me."

"It's alright." She replied. She would've loved to have more friends. But Uncle Byakuya made it his mission to 'accidently' drive off anyone she could've been friends with. He seemed to want to hurt her in any way he could without making her attack him. She knocked him down the hallway when it happened one time too many, but the damage had been done. Shirou was her only friend because he hadn't heard the rumours about her creepy uncle. "I'm not really passing up anything. I don't feel like I _have_ to go to town just because it's the weekend. Don't worry though. The moment I have something else to do, I'll do it."

"Well, if you insist. Just don't put yourself out for my sake." As they approached the school, she spotted blood running down his hand. "Shirou, your hand."

"Wha? Oh." He noticed the blood dripping from his middle finger. He pulled his sleeve up to reveal a line going down his arm. "I must've cut myself on some junk last night. But it's weird how no one noticed until now." He noticed her looking at him in worry. She learnt quickly that not everyone was as resilient as her. She healed and shrugged off things that would've put someone else in hospital. "Relax. It's barely a scratch. I don't even feel it. I'll clean it up and get a bandage before class starts." She smiled in relief.

"Well, if you insist. I don't want you to get ill or anything."

"Morning Emiya." They heard Ayako Mitsuzuri call out. While she was a good friend and a nice person, Sakura didn't really like it when she showed up around Shirou. Probably because according to the rumours, she was competing against… _that girl_… to see who can snag a boyfriend first. Everytime she hang around Shirou, Sakura was worried she'd be trying to steal him. But Shirou smiled warmly at her.

"Hey Mitsuzuri." He replied.

"Hey? That's all I get? Man, be a little more glad to see a friend." Sakura looked at her watch and realised she was going to be late.

"I'd better get going. I've got class now." They both said their goodbyes and waved her off, leaving her running to class. She hoped there wasn't anything going on between them.

And if there was, she was going to show how much stronger she was.

* * *

"So how the Archery Club going along?" Shirou asked Ayako.

"Not too bad." She replied. "You should come and watch sometime later. We're having a shared lunch today."

"Yeah. So Fuji-nee's told me. If I went I just know she'll try to force me to join again."

"Not that I blame her. You're really good at it."

"My uncle made me train. He said that once I can get a bullseye from 200 feet, then he'd stop waking me at 6 in the morning for training." And he used a bucket of cold water too. The few weeks before they moved onto shields was almost pure heaven.

"You know, there's actually something I need you to do for me. Can you keep an eye on Shinji for me?"

"Shinji? What's he up to _this_ time?" Shirou could never really understand how someone as nice as Sakura got someone so cruel as Shinji for a brother. He could be a real charmer most of the time, but he's seen the time Shinji would start acting petty for little reasons.

"Well, he's gotten completely out of control lately. I take my eye off him for one second and he acts like he owns the place. Just the other day, he made the first-years do target practise in front of every girl in the club. None of those boys had ever fired an arrow before. He just kept embarrassing them until they hit their marks."

"Well, where were you when this was going on? Shouldn't you have stopped it?"

"I'm the team captain. I've got about a dozen things to do at once, and watching over the team members is unfortunately a bit low on my list of priorities." She glared now, looking very annoyed. "I can't be in the dojo _and_ out on the targeting range at the same time. And whenever I try to have a talk with him about anything, that little jerk just gives me the slip." She growled in anger. "Sometimes I just want to strangle him."

"Still. I wonder what's gotten into him?" Shirou wondered. "He should know that there's a huge difference between tough instruction and public ridicule. That was one of the first things Arthas taught me."

"Well, I _did_ hear a rumour that he got shot down pretty hard by Rin Tohsaka the other day. If there's one thing that boy's got plenty of, it's pride. And from what I heard Rin took all the pride and grounded it into dust."

"Alright. I'll talk to him later today."

* * *

**(12:30pm, Fuyuki School)**

Shinji wasn't hard to find today. He was having an argument with an older woman.

Shirou wondered who she was when he got closer. She was older than Shinji by quite a bit, and looked very tough. She didn't really look it though. Her skin was dark, but smooth; and her hair was sandy-blond. And she looked nice in her black hoodie. But something about the way she held herself felt imposing. Like she had killed many people before, and could kill everyone in the school if she felt like it. Maybe she was a soldier. In fact, he often got the same feeling from Arthas, especially during training.

"…You can't just give me orders like that. I'm not one of your pathetic soldiers." Shinji was saying, his skin red in anger. Against his blue hair, it looked a little comical.

"No, you're not." The older lady said curtly. "If you were, I'd have had you court-martialled by now. You are a disgrace to yourself, your family, and to me. Now shut up."

"Have you forgotten your orders, woman?"

"My orders were to protect you. They didn't say anything about letting you embarrass your classmates to bolster your stupid pride."

Shirou felt like it was a bad idea to interrupt, but he had to talk to him at some point. He coughed lightly, and the lady turned to him. "Uh hi. My name's Shirou Emiya. I was wanting to talk to Shinji."

The lady held out her hand. "Bethany Shepard. Nice to meet you. Now, what complaint do you have with him?" She held his jacket in one hand to stop him running.

"Well, it's not really _my_ complaint. But I wanted to talk to him about how he treated the first-years the other day."

"Save your breath." Shinji muttered. "Shepard's already talked my ear off about that. Besides, ever since I became vice-captain our team's been piling up the wins. And why do you care anyway? You left the team."

"I'm still friends with Ayako, and she wanted me to talk to you. You can't humiliate the other Club members just because you're upset. You're supposed to support them when they need help. And you can't just throw the newbies into the lion's den like that."

"Well that kind of attitude is why we kept losing before. Ayako doesn't have the stomach to do what needs to be done, to win at all cost. Maybe we need a new change in…" He stopped talking at Shepard punched him in the stomach. He dropped to his knees, wheezing and gasping.

"People who think they need to resort to that kind of behaviour make for poor leaders. I am ashamed I have to work with you, you brat."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask. But what do you do?"

"I'm his temporary guardian. Father Kotomine hired me to look after him and Ms Matou. But now I'm starting to regret it. And I can't leave because of a binding contract. Still, at least Sakura is a nice lady."

"Funny. She never mentioned getting a new guardian. She's a good friend of mine."

"So you're the kid she rushes over every morning to make breakfast for. You must mean a lot to her."

"Well, we are good friends."

Shepard sighed. "You remind me of my boyfriend. Took him forever too." She picked Shinji up by his arm. "Come on. You and I are going to have a little chat now." Shinji was still too busy gasping to object, letting her pull him along.

You'd think she'd mention getting a soldier for a guardian.

* * *

**(1:15pm, Fuyuki School)**

"Do you feel that?" Rin barely whispered, knowing that Archer would hear it through the Command Seal. "There's a Servant nearby."

"Nice of you to state the fucking obvious." Archer replied from wherever she was. "Whoever this bastard is, they're avoiding fighting. So either he's a coward with a pussy instead of a dick…"

"Or," Rin interrupted, "they're waiting for a more opportune time to attack. We should wait at the school for everyone to leave, and draw this Servant out."

"Sure. Then I get to blow the shit out of this place. Reminds me of my time at school. Shit, those were the days. Hookers and cocaine every week."

This did not surprise Rin in anyway.

* * *

**(8:00pm, Fuyuki School)**

Shirou was feeling puffed. Today had been one hell of a day. After that with Shinji and Shepard, he hadn't seen him again until after school. Just when he was about to go home Shinji had him clean the Archery Club dojo! But now at least he's finally finished. Though Arthas was probably gonna kill him for being out so late. He was just doing the finishing touches when he heard an explosion. Wondering what was going on, he rushed out to find an unbelievable sight.

Two people were having a fight that was tearing the place apart. The first person was covered in grey armour, holding a purple glowing katana in one hand and a golden pistol in the other. She pointed and fired the pistol at the other, who dodged as the bullets shattered the ground like it was paper. The other rushed back in. It was a woman, wearing a red and black robe. The red's placement made her bust seem larger than it really was, and she had metal covering her shoulders. He couldn't see her face, as she was wearing a metal faceplate and a very pointy hood. And in her hands, slashing away at the ground…

Was a stick of fire.

Shirou was amazed. The murderer was actually here at the school! He didn't know what was going on, but he hoped that the knight won the fight. But there was another person, an accomplice perhaps? As he looked past the smoke he was surprised to see who it was.

"Tohsaka-san?" His voice was apparently loud enough to get the murderer's attention. She turned to face him, the battle forgotten by both sides. Not knowing what else to do, Shirou ran for the school. He reached into his coat to pull out his sword, his gift from the other day…

And found nothing. He only just remembered that he had left it in his bag in case the teachers took offence to it.

"Of all the times I could've forgotten it, it had to be tonight?" He muttered as he ran faster. But a great force slammed him against the wall, and the murderer was standing over him. How she managed to run in a robe like that was beyond him.

"I really don't want to do this." She said in a metallic, sultry voice. "But all witnesses must be silenced. It couldn't be too much trouble for you to just never speak of this to anyone?"

Never tell anyone that he saw the murderer? Never help the police find her and put her behind bars? It was unthinkable!

"Never." He said. He would've said more, but he had trouble speaking with her weapon sticking out of his chest.

"I am truly sorry." She said as everything went dark. What was either moments later or an eternity, voices echoed around him.

"…help him…Not a part…no need." One voice said, higher pitched like a school girl.

"…that. People die… Got in the way…happens." Another, deeper voice said.

"…care…help…Isn't fair."

And then everything went dark completely this time.

* * *

**(8:15pm, Fuyuki School)**

Shirou woke up with a start. He had a really bizarre dream. He found the murderer fighting Rin Tohsaka, but he was being chased. Then he was stabbed through the heart, but someone decided to heal him. Now he was somewhere strangely familiar. Still, Arthas could explain what he might've…

His hand squelched against a red stain on his jacket. Looking around, he realised that he was at school. Which meant…

Oh shit.

Shirou rushed back down to his bag and grabbed his sword. After tonight, he was never going without it. There was a murderer on the loose, and he had to get to safety before she tried to kill him again. He rushed down the streets, noticing how empty it was. If he got caught out here, he doubted his rescuer would be able to help again. He made it to his street when he was struck by lightning. He screamed as his body refused to move. Fortunately, he fell over just as a blade of fire moved to slice through him with a buzzing noise. He rolled over to find the murderer standing over him.

"Well." She said. "You must've been very lucky to have survived that." He noticed how her voice sounded as though she was speaking through a walkie talkie. "Still, as much as I loathe them, I have my orders." She raised her blade again. This was the end for him. He couldn't reach his blade in time.

A blast of ice knocked her away. Quick as a flash, Shirou got back up and raced for home. Arthas stood in the doorway, a large spiky sword in one hand. His eyes glowed icy-blue, same as the sword while frost formed around him.

"Damn." He muttered. "How is the War starting so soon? Could Angra Mainyu be behind this?" He shook his head. "Shirou. Get to the shed. There is a summoning circle inside. Hopefully, you can get someone to help defend you."

"Me?" Shirou replied. "What about you? This lady's a murderer. And she's fast." His questions were silenced when Arthas glowed and black mist formed around him. In an instant he reappeared wearing extravagant armour, with massive shoulder-plates and fur and skulls everywhere. A spiky helmet protected his head.

"Don't worry about me, Shirou." He said with two voices. "Worry about what I'll do to this Servant. Now go!" His tone allowed for no arguments. Shirou rushed into the house as Arthas charged at the murderer. He heard their weapons clash as he raced for the shed. He pulled the door open just in time to see the murderer appear out of thin air, while a small tornado had formed outside the house. Heart in his throat, Shirou stood on the circle inscribed in the floor, one he had seen in there for years. He pulled his sword out of the sheath, nearly dropping it as it grew heavier. He stood at the ready for when the lady came in.

"_Come on, come on."_ He thought. _"Make this thing work. Summon someone already!"_ He noticed that the lines were lighting up, but was too distracted to notice the wind pull him out of the shed. He barely managed to avoid stabbing himself with the blade, rolling back onto his feet just in time to intercept the fiery blade.

"You're skilled." She said. "But this will all be over soon. Such a shame a bright young boy like yourself said no. We could've been a team." Damn she was strong. It was taking everything just to stop the blade from getting closer. He wouldn't be able to keep this up for ever.

Luckily, he didn't need to.

A bright glow came from the shed, and the lady was pushed away by some invisible force. As Shirou fell back, he nearly landed on someone. He looked at the person and nearly shrieked.

It was another lady, but she was both beautiful and monstrous at once. She had a gorgeous figure, but it was marred by spikes and scales. Claws tipped her hands and feet, while her skin was a motley patchwork of green and purple. Her face was wonderful, but her hair seemed to be some skeletal tendrils. Lastly, she had to large wings of bone, tipped with razor-sharp claws. She was looking at Shirou in puzzlement.

"You, boy, who was fighting a Servant in single combat." She said. Her voice echoed in a similar way to Arthas when he wore that armour. "I ask of you. Are you my Master?"

Shirou wanted to say something cool. He wanted to say something normal. Instead, he ruined the moment. "Wha…wha…what the hell?"

Lancer groaned as she got back up. Damn, that was a powerful force push. The last time she felt that was during her climatic duel with Darth Thanaton. She got back up, but nearly groaned when she saw the new enemy.

Honestly. She knew her species weren't really in a place to point fingers, but were there any beautiful species that understood modesty and decency? Not many these days saw **her** strutting around with everything hanging out anymore. Well, not anymore at any rate. She noticed that she wasn't carrying any weapons, but those wings of hers certainly looked dangerous. And she noted, ducking under a purple orb the new lady fired from her hand, she was strong in the Force or whatever she had.

She hadn't really **wanted** to kill the kid. He would've been of no threat, and no one would've believed him if he told anyone. But her Master was as vile as many of the newer Sith Lords. He had ordered her to kill the boy, probably so that he could get off from the pain. Now look at what happened. What started off as a one-on-one now had two more people gunning for her. Her Whirlwind wasn't going to stop the Dark Knight for much longer. But her Master still ordered her into the match. She wished she still had her old master. At least Lord Zash had known when to run and survive. Everything she did was pragmatic. And it worked until she betrayed her. Well actually it would've worked anyway if Khem Val hadn't jumped in the way to save her.

She jumped towards the Servant, managing to surprise her and cleave through a wing. The other barely managed to block her in time, and she was having some difficulty keeping up with Lancer's strikes. Claws clashed with her lightsaber as they battled. The Servant managed to catch the blade with a force barrier on her hands, and reared to stab Lancer with her wing. Lancer blew her away with an Overload. She was about to charge again when her shields blocked several bullets. She looked at the roof to find Archer and her Master ready to attack her. She dodged again as the Dark Knight smashed through a door, cleaving into the ground where she had been standing. As she wondered about retreating, the new Servant got back up and regrew her wounded wing. There was no doubt. She was in over her head. She wasn't going to do anything against three powerful servants.

"A wise warrior knows when to run." She said before using the force to vanish. As she jumped away, she noticed that the new girl was attacking Archer. Good. Hopefully one would kill the other.

_Luck was for the foolish_, she scoffed.

* * *

"STOP!" Shirou shouted as the monster girl started attacking Rin and her knight. Rin had jumped down as the knight smashed the monster to the ground. Undeterred, she got back up and started throwing boulders with her mind. The knight managed to catch them and throw them back. One nearly smashed Rin into a pancake. "Stop! Please!" She refused to listen. She called him Master yet she wasn't obeying. He didn't want more fighting. He wanted to know what the hell was going on. "Please stop!"

A wave of ice formed between the two warriors, blocking their attacks. Everyone turned to see Arthas with his sword glowing with ice. He stood back up and glared at the two warriors.

"Knight. Your Master was nearly killed. I suggest you make sure she's fine. And you, monster. **Your** Master gave you an order. Obey it at once." The two warriors stopped fighting and seemed almost sheepish as Shirou ran to check on Rin. He didn't get much further before the knight pointed a glowing gun at him.

"That's close enough, dickhead." The knight said in a feminine voice. "You ok Sexy Legs?"

"I'm fine." Rin replied. "And I told you to call me Rin."

"I prefer Sexy Legs."

"You. Are. Infuriating."

"You're just jealous cause I've scored more guys than…"

"HEY!" Shirou interrupted them both. Everyone was now looking at him. "What the hell's going on here? Who was that woman? Who are you two? And why is my uncle covered in armour?" He had to admit, he was panicking.

Arthas removed his helmet, looking at Shirou with his glowing eyes. He sighed. "Come inside Shirou. We've got a lot to discuss."

**So there we go. That's almost all the Servants introduced in one form or another. You should have more ideas on who they are after this. For those of you crying foul for Arthas getting beaten so easily, well he wasn't beaten as waylaid. That's what that power does in-game. It holds a powerful enemy in place for you.**

**Next time, we finally meet with Berserker. And boy, did I choose a good character.**


	3. Girl Problems

**Here's the new chapter. Part of it is explaining the Holy Grail War, Angra Mainyu, and the Servant Classes for anyone that hasn't read Fate of the Strong. On the plus side though, we'll get to meet Berserker. Ladies and Gentlemen, start your guessing.**

Chapter 3: Girl Problems

**(8:30pm, Emiya Residence)**

Everyone was sitting round the table, giving the place an air of oddity. Arthas sat at the head, his helmet resting on the table while he explained everything to Shirou. The boy was to his right, sitting next to the monster. She called herself Saber, and she had at least folded away her wings. Rin was to Arthas' left, with her Servant Archer. Rin nearly exploded with envy when Archer finally removed her armour. She was beautiful and sexy. Tall in height and dark in skin, she was like a goddess. The image was kind of ruined by her many tattoos in red and yellow, her white-red-and-yellow clothing and crass language. What annoyed Rin the most were the size of Archer's breasts. They were nearly as big as her head, and the jacket was stretching just to contain them. How did she fit the damn things into her armour? They had looked nearly as small as Rin's chest.

"The Holy Grail War is actually a magic ritual that taken the form of a battle royale." Arthas was explaining. "There are seven teams comprised of a Master and a Servant. The Masters supply the mana needed to sustain their Servants, and they in turn fight for their Masters. In order for the ritual to be completed, they must keep fighting until only one team remains. The winning team can then summon the Holy Grail, and be granted any wish they desire."

"Any wish?" Shirou asked. He didn't really want to wish for anything, but it might still be a good idea to learn more.

"Any wish. It is an omnipotent device with limitless potential. Kiritsugu Emiya wanted to use it to achieve peace on Earth. But I should warn you that the Masters aren't the only people that desire a wish."

"You mean the Servants? Who are they anyway? I've never seen anyone like her before."

"Dude, she was a Dark Jedi." Archer said loudly. "Haven't you ever fuckin watched Star Wars? She's got a red lightsaber for crying out loud."

"But-but that's impossible." Rin stuttered. "The Holy Grail can only summon _real_ heroes. It can't just make a fictional Servant." Arthas smirked at her before putting his helmet back on. He looked like something beyond this world, the room growing colder from his presence.

"Be careful what you say, Magus." He said in his echoing voice, his eyes blazing with icy-blue light. "I might just take offence in you calling me a matter of fiction." Rin shivered until he removed his helmet, the room returning to normal. "From what I've read, the Throne of Heroes is outside time and space. It's very likely that it calls heroes from all realities, not just your own. A 'fictional' hero could easily be real in another dimension. This partly makes our titles unnecessary."

"Titles? What titles?" Shirou hated how he was always the one that _didn't _know these things. He had a freaking hero as a guardian. He should've known more than Rin at least.

"We are addressed by our class names, which are chosen based on our fighting styles and skills."

"There are seven classes in total that have been in use since the first summoning." Rin continued, sounding like she had eaten a textbook. "First off is the Saber class. They are among the strongest classes, with high abilities, riding capabilities, and powerful magic resistance. They all are well-known for fighting with some form of swords, which makes your Saber slightly unusual. Next is the Lancer class, who we've already fought tonight. They are the fastest class, specialising in long-range melee weaponry. They also have high levels of magic resistance, and some form of battle continuation. They can't take many blows, but hitting them is the tricky part, and getting them to stay down is harder.. After that is the Archer class, of whom I am the Master of. They are most skilled with long-range weaponry, usually a bow or a gun. Their unique powers are that they can operate without a Master for longer, and their best skills are usually a power granted by their Noble Phantasms. After them is the Rider class. Obviously, to compete in that class the hero must be a part of legends that include a mount of some kind. Their stats are weaker than the three knight classes, but their variety of Noble Phantasms allow them to change and adapt to control the battlefield. After them is the Berserker class. This class can increase their stats by going berserk, allowing them to surpass their original strength. However, they're very difficult to control, use up lots of mana, and can even lose access to Noble Phantasms during their maddened states. Then we have the Caster class. As expected, they are all magi of great power, capable of spells we can't even imagine. They have the main powers to create territory that favours them, and creating magical items to aid them in their fight. Finally, there is the Assassin class. They are unique in that it is very unlikely they could ever beat any other Servant. Their skills are more suited to spying, sabotage, and attacking Masters." She looked pleased at her knowledge, while Shirou wouldn't have been surprised to look like an idiot.

"…How about we assume that I have no clue what any of that meant and explain it?" Rin nearly fell over in shock, looking at him, then glaring at Arthas.

"Sorry Shirou." He apologised. "I always assumed we would've had more time before any War began. If I had known, I would've been teaching you all this too. Think of our 'stats' as like those of a video game. They are split into 6 main forms. Strength, as in how physically strong the Servant is; Endurance, for how much damage one can take before losing; Agility, for how quick one can be; Magic, for how much mana we could use; Luck is self-explanatory; and finally Noble Phantasms, to list how powerful our greatest skill is. They are our greatest accomplishments, the very acts and items that identify us. They grant us power to crush the enemy, but they use up mana and can give away our identities. For instance, if we were back in my world of Azeroth, and if I had disguised myself, all my enemies would recognise me as soon as I use Frostmourne here." He placed his blade on the table, frost forming around it. "Our concerns about being identified are also why we would use the class titles as well."

"Ok. I think I get the part about your stats and Noble Phantasms. But why are you afraid of being identified?"

"When you first think of Achilles, what do you think of?"

"His heel. His only weak spot."

"And if you were to fight a Servant and you found out he was Achilles, where would you aim to beat him?" This was just like lessons all over again.

"His heel." Understanding dawned on Shirou now. "And if he announced himself as Achilles, everyone would aim only for his heel. They'd know that was the only way to stop him."

"Fortunately for us, if this war is like my one then none of us are from the same world. Still, since I found out that somehow this world recorded my land's history as video games, we must still be cautious. If a Servant loses their mana, then they can't stay in this world.

"But how can you still be around?" Rin asked him. "As you mentioned, Kiritsugu Emiya was your Master, but he's been dead for years. Where are you getting the mana to remain?"

"The Grail leaked out some mud that gave me a real body instead of one made from mana. I am able to remain to the end of my natural life, or rather, 'unnatural' life. But I have a much harder time collecting mana for my Noble Phantasms." He sighed. "If I was at full strength, that Lancer wouldn't have surprised me."

"Why was she killing those people?" Shirou interrupted. "And why was she trying to kill me?"

"Some Masters can't supply the necessary mana their Servant requires. To that end, Servants can harvest mana from other sources, including the life of people. As for killing you, well. The War is to be kept secret. It is the first rule of the War. Every team is expected to keep a low profile or suffer the consequences." Archer raised her hand before going into her question.

"According to the Grail, if a Master doesn't use a catalyst they will get the Servant that best matches them, right?" Arthas nodded. "So what does it say that my Master got a fuck-crazy gangbanger like me, and your kid got a sexy naked slut like her?"

Shirou paled as he realised that Saber was indeed naked. What he had mistaken for armour or skin-tight clothing was in fact her actual skin. Saber didn't seem to care aside from being called a slut.

"I honestly don't know." Arthas said. "My best guess is that little rule doesn't apply anymore. It was made with the idea that the Servants would be heroes of **this** world. But none of the Servants during the last War had ever been heard of in this world. So the Grail most likely pulled out the first Saber class Hero it could find."

"I have a question of my own." Rin said. "How do I know this isn't a trick to steal the Grail from us? Some things just don't add up."

Arthas actually started chuckling. It was really creepy, like he was an evil overlord from fiction. "Because the Grail doesn't work."

"The fuck you say?" Archer challenged.

"Emiya and I made it to the Grail, and we found that it had been corrupted. Angra Mainyu, a god of evil, had infected it. Now it will twist your wish to cause the most pain and suffering, and allow its birth to destroy the world."

Rin thought about this for a while before responding. "I don't believe that. It is clearly just an attempt to make me give up early, and hand victory over to you."

"Then just accept that I will want what Shirou wants. Why do you seek the Grail, little girl?"

"The Tohsakas were one of the founding families of the Grail War. My honour demands that I claim it for our family name."

"Honestly, I just wanna blow shit up." Archer included. Everyone looked at Shirou and Saber.

"I…I want to be normal. To be human again." Saber said, not really looking at anyone.

Shirou shrugged. "I can't think of anything I want. But I do want to stop people like Lancer from killing people. They had never done anything to her. If you'd like, Rin, I could help you win the Grail for your family." Rin nodded. Shirou always seemed too naïve to betray people. And with two Sabers at their side they could easily win the War. Then Saber could wish herself back to normal.

"An Alliance it is then." Arthas said. "But I'm curious as to why you're allying with Tohsaka. For all you know, there could be a better team to side with."

"I want to thank Rin for healing me. I recognised your voice from when I was dying."

"Yeah, well. You didn't really put up much of a fight. You should've been better trained."

Arthas seemed annoyed. "I know that Servants are tougher than regular people, but how did she slip past your technique so easily?"

"Well uh, see I kinda…left my sword…in my bag." If looks could kill then Arthas would've burnt a hole through Shirou. "See…I thought a teacher might confiscate it and destroy it. And after all that work you put into making it…"

"From now on I **expect** you to carry it on your person at all times Shirou. Failure to do so result in _strict_ punishment."

Shirou gulped. "Yes sir."

Arthas turned his terrifying gaze away from him. "What do you propose we do now, Ms Tohsaka? As a mere Servant I was not privy to these kinds of matters."

"Well, first off, we'll need to see the church curator. He's the mediator of the War, so he'll need to be aware that another Servant has been summoned."

"You mean Kirei Kotomine." Arthas frowned as he said that name. "If it wasn't for the fact that I need to fortify this house, I wouldn't let either of you near him without me being present. I'd trust him as much as I trust The Burning Legion. He is unpredictable, and all too willing to break the rules of the Grail War. Be very cautious when you see him, and take everything he says as false until proven otherwise."

"O…Ok." Shirou was confused by his reaction. It was almost as if he had known the guy. A foreboding thought came to him as he looked at Saber.

"How are we going to get Saber there without being noticed?"

* * *

**(8:40pm, Near the Fuyuki Church)**

"Oh come on." Rin moaned. "Don't you have anything better for her to wear?"

"Hey don't look at me." Shirou retorted. "I asked her to cover up, but she said it didn't bother her." Saber certainly looked strange. The only thing Shirou had that would cover her was an old yellow raincoat, and 'covered' was a generous word. It was just long enough to hide her privates, and everytime her wings twitched under the coat it would ride up enough to flash anyone watching her. Her stilettoes clicked against the cobblestones, and it would be clear that she wasn't human. At least Archer was still dressed normally, though she wasn't anymore unnoticeable than Saber. Luckily, they didn't encounter anyone on their way to the church.

"So, he lives here?" The place looked almost…foreboding. He couldn't put his finger on why, though. It looked perfectly normal. But he could almost taste a dark aura emanating from it.

"Yes. This is Kotomine Church, after all. His family has lived here for generations."

"Shirou." Saber said suddenly. "This church feels tainted. I can hear voices screaming from within. There has been a lot of pain and suffering and death from this building." Rin and Shirou looked surprised at this. They couldn't hear anything. But then again, Servants usually have some sort of mystical power that regular mages couldn't hope to replicate. "I dare not enter this foul place. Archer and I can still protect you both from outside. At the very least, we will know where to find you if you are in trouble."

"Yeah, I'd probably throw a Molotov cocktail at this place just to set my nerves at ease if you both weren't inside." Archer agreed. She sat down on a nearby bench, and pulled out a golden glowing rifle. Saber stood to one side and bared her claws. Satisfied that nothing would sneak up on them, Shirou and Rin entered the church. Now that they were aware of the pain in this place, they could almost sense something. But it was a dull feeling, like it was being muffled. They instinctually drew closer together for protection. Looking ahead, they saw a tall, dark-haired man wearing church robes at the front. Kirei Kotomine.

"How do you know this guy Rin?" Shirou was really curious about that. He who learns all about their allies and enemies is stronger for it. That's what Arthas helped him learn.

"I can tell you that he is a Magus, like us. He is also kind of my legal guardian. You see, my parents died during the last Grail War, and my father's will states that until I turn of age, he is to manage the properties and ensure I am educated as a Tohsaka should be." Rin sighed. "I just wished he wasn't such a pain in the ass all the time. Between him and Archer, I feel like I'm going to go grey before I'm even thirty."

"I promised my master, Tokiomi Tohsaka, that I would protect Ms Tohsaka like my own child, and I plan on doing exactly that." Kirei was close enough that they could easily see his cross glinting in the moonlight. "A shame that Rin was never informed to treat me as befitting a teacher working tirelessly to help her."

"I've bought before you the seventh Master. But he is so painfully inept, that I had no choice but to ally with him."

"Really? Tell me, my son. What would your name be?" Shirou started feeling really creeped out. It was like this man was dead inside, a soulless void.

"Shirou Emiya." Kirei smiled as he heard his name.

"Well then, perhaps you should explain your circumstances to me, so that I may help you." And so Shirou and Rin told him as much as they could, including that Arthas had already instructed him about the whole War. It was almost 10 by the time they finished.

"So you are truly Saber's Master then?"

"I…I guess. But I want to know one thing."

"Hmm? What is that one thing?"

"The lady behind those recent murders. Is she really a Servant?"

Things clicked together. "Ah. You must mean the Lancer Servant. Yes, she most certainly is. As you yourself explained, her Master is unable to give her the necessary amount of mana, and so she must harvest it herself." He shook his head in disgust. "A Master unable to do such a simple matter does not deserve a Servant."

"So, if I compete, does that mean I could run into her? And get justice for all the people she's slaughtered?"

This boy was so much like his 'father'. How naïve. "Indeed. But I should warn you, Lancer is not the only Servant in the running. If you enter this War to kill her, you must keep fighting until only one Servant is left standing. You won't be able to pull out halfway. And I doubt they will hesitate to kill you if it means victory for them. Is this truly that path you wish to follow?" Shirou hesitated. It certainly sounded dangerous. He didn't know a thing about this War. Arthas said himself that he hadn't expected another War so soon. He could ask if he could leave the War. Saber could find a better Master, and he'd live to fight another day.

But whenever he thought about all those people murdered by that woman, his blood boiled. He knew that if he gave up the chance to administer vengeance, he'd never forgive himself.

"I'm staying in this fight." He finally said. He could almost hear his word ringing in the air. "I'll stop any innocents from being killed by anymore Servants, no matter what."

Kotomine smiled. "Very well then. The final team has been chosen. By the blessings of God, I pray that you find yourself victorious in your goals, whatever they may be. Rejoice, for your dreams will finally come true."

"Well, I guess that's that." Rin said as they left the church. Saber looked very annoyed. Apparently, Archer had gotten very bored, and had spent the whole time either playing 'I Spy', or talking about her sexual conquests. A disturbing number seemingly involved a lot of things no normal person would ever try. "For the time being, it would be best to work from different locations. That way, other Servants won't be expecting us to work together, and we will have a second base to escape to if things go wrong."

Saber growled. "Master, before us." They looked ahead. Standing in their path was a little girl and what appeared to be either her mother or her older sister. It was hard to tell through the mist. But Saber wouldn't have called out unless they were Servants.

"Paedophile alert, 12 o'clock." Archer called out, pointing her rifle at them. The mist cleared enough for them to see each other. Shirou gasped. It was the girl from last night. And the other lady was clearly not her sister or mother. She had wavy brown hair, and a pallid complexion. Her clothes looked completely tattered. But worst of all were her eyes. They appeared sunken and fiery red, cracks and scars covering her skin. She looked as though she had just crawled out of her own grave.

"Hello again, mister." The little girl spoke, a creepy smile on her face. "This makes it the second tie we've met. I so hoped that you would be a Master." Her smile became bloodthirsty. "Now I get to kill you." Black smoke billowed around her Servant as a wave of mana burst forth. Shirou and Rin started shaking in their shoes, their underwear dripping with fear. Even Archer and Saber had to push against the force to keep from backing up. As the smoke dispersed, it was clear that the Servant had changed.

Instead of being a young lady, she had become a demon of some kind. It appeared to be female still, with noticeable curves and breasts. But everything about her was horrifying. Two spiked and clawed arms grasped at the air, her biggest spikes swishing as she moved. A long tail whipped around behind her as she walked on clawed feet. Her red skin seemed aglow with fire and she had two extra mouths on her shoulders. And her head was massive, with spikes jutting everywhere. Finally, even more massive spikes jutted from her back like beastly wings. The ground shook with each step. She gave a deep roar and they were washed over by fiery breath.

"Berserker. Kill them."

* * *

Saber used her psionics to push Rin and Shirou out of the way, while Archer opened fire with her rifle. Berserker merely shrugged off the blasts, but it did cause her to ignore the Masters. Archer jumped about 100 metres as Berserker slammed the ground at her feet. Fireballs spread out from her, causing Saber to dodge them all with jumps and flips. She threw the raincoat at Berserker and blinded her for a moment, giving her a chance to hit the enemy Servant with a powerful psionic blast. But it just charged through the blast with ease.

Shirou couldn't believe it. He thought that Saber was tough, managing to scare off Lancer like she had. But they had to keep moving just to keep away from this new Servant. He honestly thought that he could've pulled out his sword, slash a few times and win the fight. But this was out of his league.

"Hey bitch!" Archer shouted. When Berserker turned she held her hands in front of her groin like she was having a blowjob. Berserker roared and charged straight for her, ignoring Saber, Shirou and Rin completely. Archer blasted it with some kind of rifle, but Berserker just kept getting closer. Soon it was close enough to slash at her, so Archer pulled out a…dildo bat?

Surprisingly enough, it actually managed to work. Berserker was reeling from the blows for a few moments. Long enough for Saber to charge in and slash with her wings. Berserker roared as scars formed all over her body, until a lucky blow sent Saber and Archer flying. Archer fell down into the river, but Saber was left winded on the path. Empowered by rage, Berserker charged for her again, Saber unable to get up in time.

"Saber!" Shirou yelled, pulling out his sword as he ran for her. He could hear Rin yelling at him to come back, but he ignored them. If he didn't do something, Saber would die. He placed himself in the way, remembering Arthas' instructions on defence. His body rattled with pain as he blocked the powerful blow. He only needed to hold out long enough for Saber to get back up. Just long enough…

He gasped in pain as one of Berserker's claws tried to pierce his stomach. Only a quick lunge away saved him from being skewered again. Saber charged forward, her wings parrying Berserker's blows. Archer finally pulled herself out of the drink before throwing a magic orb at Berserker. Everything around it froze over as frost formed on its scales. Berserker slowed down enough for Saber to throw it into the air with a psionic blast. As Berserker fell back down, Archer rushed to where it would land and pulled out a tall metal bat. The end opened up, showing a wriggling thing as she pointed it straight at Berserker. Perhaps it was some kind of unknown gun, ready to blast the Servant in a single blow, Shirou thought to himself.

Those hopes were dashed as Berserker landed ass-first on top of the weapon. It roared in pain as Archer hooted. Then, Berserker was fired from it into a nearby building.

"Booyah. The Rectifier has saved the day once again." She then danced a kind of dance Shirou had only seen in adult videos. Hey, he was a teenager. Things happen. Saber though, was rushing towards the little girl for some reason. Both of the Servants were surprised as Berserker came sailing back out of the building, slamming into both of them with near bone-shattering force. A tall man wearing black, spiky armour walked out of the hole, a blade for one hand and a massive fist on the other.

"No, little lady." He said with many voices. "It's just made it worse."

* * *

**(10:30pm, Nearby Lab)**

Alex Mercer was feeling elated. After the last Holy Grail War ended, he had been setting up labs so as to complete his transformation of the world. Indeed, he had found yet another breakthrough this very night. He only needed to mix several strains together, and he may be one step closer than before.

After the disastrous end of the War, Alex had been laying low, in case Saber wanted to finish him off. But even though he had become a note-worthy doctor, Saber hadn't made a move. Clearly, he believed that as long as Alex didn't mess with him, he wouldn't mess with Alex. He kinda owed him too, what with having ruined two of his labs. Still, that may change with the signs that another Grail War was happening. At least Kotomine swore he wouldn't involve him in this fight, after he had the doctor let him obtain Lancer's command seals. The process he used last time was much too slow to deal with an angry Servant in the same room. But what the priest **didn't** know was that afterwards, Alex moved Ms Bazett Fraga McRemitz to another, well hidden lab and was in the process of healing her.

Hey, he only had himself to blame. If he hadn't betrayed Alex during the last War, Alex wouldn't have made a problem just to spite him.

Alex got ready to tip the prepared viruses into the beaker. He had to be careful. Due to their…unique nature, they would not last long outside a container of some kind. He moved ever so gently, ignoring the noises from outside, just about to perfect his concoction…

When a massive demon crashed through the wall, cleanly smashed the beaker and the table it was on, before impacting into the far wall. Alex just stood there, the retroviruses having been smacked out of his hands. It was almost like he was a statue, as his mind processed what the fuck just happened. He only moved when his rage partially broke. Without saying a word, he armoured up again for the first time in years. He grabbed the demon by one of its massive spikes, and dragged it back to the hole in his wall.

"Booyah. The Rectifier has just saved the day again." A woman shouted to the sky. Alex threw the demon at her and her skimpily-attired ally. The three of them slammed into the ground with a satisfying 'smack'.

"No, little lady." He said. "It's just made it worse."

* * *

Everyone stopped fighting to look at this new opponent. Shirou was worried. It looked as though he himself had thrown Berserker at Saber and Archer. But that was impossible. Berserker had to weigh hundreds of kilos. What was this guy?

"Hey!" The little girl yelled. "How dare you interrupt our fight? Do you even know what you're dealing with?" The man turned to look at her for a moment before laughing. It was a cold, creepy laugh.

"Practise for a school production?" He guessed. "Re-enacting a favourite anime? Ooh, I know. It's Ms Einzbern with her Servant Berserker, fighting against Ms Tohsaka and Mr Emiya with their Servants." The little girl gasped. How did this guy know about the Servants? "Gotta say, if you're anything like your mom, you'll make one hot chick." His armour blurred and flowed, until _he_ turned out to be a _she_. She had long flowing white hair and red eyes, just like the little girl. She had the same pale skin too. But she appeared to be wearing a very provocative swimsuit, if one was being generous. The girl appeared to be getting angrier by the minute. "Ok, I'll confess. I added a couple of cup-sizes to her. But this booty is completely natural." She gave her hips a little shake, pointing them at all the combatants.

"How…How dare you!" The girl seemed livid. Fire nearly sprouted from her eyes. "How dare you pretend to be my mother! Berserker, kill him." The demon roared as it got back up, fire billowing from everywhere. The lady jumped as high as Archer had as Berserker fired a beam of fire. One arm changed into a massive stone-like fist, and the lady slammed it into Berserker's face. But Berserker grabbed the lady's hands, and reared its lower arms to stab her. Everyone was confused as the lady sprouted _another_ set of arms and caught those too.

"I'll admit, you're pretty tough for a Berserker." The lady smirked, her mouth filled with too many sharp teeth. "But I'm also a Berserker. And against me, you're nothing but shit." And with that, the lady threw Berserker around a few times. Saber rushed in to slash her, but found the other Berserker fired a massive tendril at her. It was going too fast for her to stop, and she could only hold on as it smashed her down the street and into a nearby wall. She tried to get up, but the world was spinning too much. Other Berserker then smacked Archer with Berserker, before throwing it at Saber.

"Saber! Look out!" Shirou rushed in _yet again_, ignoring his own safety as he ran to protect Saber. He grabbed her by the arm and nearly threw her out of the way. But he didn't have enough time to run, and was wounded by one of Berserker's wings. He cried out as blood spurted everywhere, the wound nearly taking up his whole side. Everything started getting dark. The last thing he saw was Archer and Other Berserker being blown away from each other somehow.

Then nothing.

* * *

**(7:00am Wednesday, Emiya Residence)**

Shirou woke up with a gasp. His head reeled as he tried to remember where he was. That's right, he's back home. Last night must've been some crazy dream. As he sat up, his side started aching. He looked down to see himself wrapped in bandages. What _really_ happened last night? He got dressed and went through his morning routine, still thinking about that dream. It had felt so real. But really, his guardian was a knight from another world? A magical war was going on? And his servant… Shirou blushed, glad that no one could look in his head. That would've been embarrassing. Now he just needed to ask Arthas how he'd gotten injured last night and…

Shirou started as he entered the dining room. Rin Tohsaka was sitting at the table, drinking some herbal tea. Arthas was with her, glaring at Shirou like he always did when the boy did something stupid. On Rin's other side was a tall, buxom dark-skinned woman, drinking some kind of alcohol. And next to Arthas was a woman in a strange silver bodysuit. Yellow lights ran down the joints as she looked at him with amber eyes. Strangely, her brown hair looked unusual; looking like it was made from tendrils instead of…

"Saber?" Shirou asked in disbelief. But if she was here, then that meant that his dream was real. He almost died twice last night!

"Yes Master." The woman said. "You're lucky to still be alive. Rin and I carried you back here, where Arthas used his magic to heal you."

Arthas shook his head in disgust. "I warned you about the power of the Servants. I told you that they can take care of themselves. And you still nearly got yourself killed saving her. Saber can heal herself, Shirou. But I'm afraid that you are far more fragile than her. And if you die, then Saber goes with you. Do try to remember that."

"What happened?" Shirou asked Rin. "Last I remember, Berserker nearly landed on me."

"Well, the Einzbern kid stormed off in a huff, saying it wasn't fun anymore. The Other Berserker was about to attack us, when Archer pulled out this tiny, tiny gun that blew both of them away. Then we carried you back here to be healed."

Archer chuckled. "Bet he/she/whatever wasn't expecting the Loud Locust. But I doubt that would've been enough to kill the bastard."

"It won't be." Arthas said. "I remember Berserker from the last War. He'll be tougher the next time you fight him." He sighed. "Things are getting more and more complicated."

"He's a guy? But he looked like a woman, in that…outfit." Shirou was confused.

"Black Berserker, as we'll call him, is a shapeshifter. He can alter himself into whatever form he needs to deal with his problem. I don't fully know what his goals are, but he's been quiet ever since the last War. As for that form he took, he became Irisviel Von Einzbern, Kiritsugu's wife."

"He had a wife?" Kiritsugu never told him that. He always thought the guy had been alone until he rescued him.

"Yes. She was a very vibrant person. A shame that Black Berserker would use her body for a sick prank. Emiya tried to return home to get his daughter back, but her family wouldn't let him. They had hired him to obtain the Grail for them, and instead we destroyed it. I must confess, I never actually considered rescuing her myself. I have never really been good around children."

A sister. Shirou had a sister. And she seemed determined to kill him. Just his luck.

"Master." Saber interrupted his thoughts. "The priest followed us to give you this book." She placed a blue-covered book in front of Shirou. "He said that because you can't see the abilities and stats of other Servants, this will keep a record of them for you." Shirou opened to a random page. Inside was a picture of Berserker, both in her normal form and the demonic one. Next to the pictures was a list of stats, just like a video game. And according to them…

"Why does Berserker have two different levels of stats? And what do they even mean?"

Rin sighed in frustration. God, this guy didn't know anything. "She has two stats because she has two forms. My guess is that the higher stats are what she has as a demon. And they mean that you'd need equal or greater stats to challenge her." Shirou looked at them again. A+++ in strength looked pretty tough to him.

"Ok then." He sighed. "So how do we convince the other masters to stop fighting each other?" The silence from that statement was suffocating. Everyone looked at him like he said something completely stupid, like the sky was candy-flavoured or something.

"You got shit for brains or what?" Archer asked him. "Jesus-fucking-Christ you can't really be that naïve."

Arthas shook his head. "Even if you could convince the masters not to fight, their Servants won't be as willing. We are summoned _because_ we have a reason to live again. Usually it's a wish from the Grail, or something we can only do when we're alive. But they're all things we will die and kill for to obtain. If you try to get them to stop, then they may cut you down for being a threat to their wishes."

"But they're people too." Shirou shouted. "They shouldn't want to kill people like that."

"You're talking to the wrong people kid." Archer said. "Let's see. Berserker's a demon, so she'll want to kill people for fun. Lancer's some kind of assassin, so killing is her job. I myself was a crime lord before I died, and I killed people just because it was faster to drive on the sidewalk than on the road."

"But…but Arthas. You're a good guy, right? You don't kill people unless they really, _really_ deserve it?"

"I used to." Arthas seemed hesitant to talk about his past. "Suffice to say that I was turned into a terrifying warrior by outside sources and leave it at that." His tone was a very final one. Shirou turned to Saber, worry etched on his face.

"I too was a killer. I too was a terrifying warrior made by forces beyond our understanding. You need to accept that people will die, or you will _be_ one of those people." Arthas looked at her in a way that could almost be called pity.

"Besides, it's not like we aren't aware that we could die." Rin took over. "Besides you, every Master is aware of what's at stake and is willing to die for their dreams. And the Servants are already dead anyway. When they die, they just return to the Throne of Heroes." She gave the Servants a look. "Though I am curious as to how the three of you became heroes in the first place. You don't exactly act like heroes."

"Killed an alien Warlord." Archer replied. "Resurrected the Human Race. Died from old age."

"Helped destroyed a god-like being and died in the process." Saber said.

"Irreversibly changed the world. Took a combined effort from everyone to kill me." Arthas noted. "A Heroic Spirit doesn't need to be a hero. They just have to be famous and done something important. For everyone is a hero in their own tales."

Well, how do killing innocent people get these Servants what they want? It's just stupid."

"You mean with Lancer? Well, Servants use magic to remain alive. That's what the masters are for. The more magic potential one has, the stronger the Servant becomes. However, some masters don't have any magic, or too little to be useful. Thus, their Servants are required to feed upon the life energy of others to survive. I imagine such a process could kill a person, but it would reward the Servant with more power than usual." Shirou couldn't believe it. Would Saber really go around doing that? It was impossible! And what about Arthas? From what he said, he was also a Servant. Even with an actual body, wouldn't he need magic to survive? If he worked for Kiritsugu, and the old man died years ago, then how has he been sustaining himself?

"What about you?" Rin asked Arthas. "I've never heard of anything capable of granting a Servant a real body for very long. Servants with Independent Action could last longer, but never for years."

"I don't need magic. Or at least, not until now. I sustain myself the same way any person would. With food, rest and exercise. I only need the magic to manifest my powers."

"That's it!" Shirou shouted. "If we could get more of this special mud, then none of the Servants would need to hurt people for power. It's perfect!"

"Yes. Except for the fact that the mud can only be made by Angra Mainyu, and it was the material that destroyed the city last time." Shirou slumped as Arthas said that. Nothing he thought of could do anything. It was completely unfair.

Rin took a glance at the clock. "Crap." She said. "At this rate we're going to be late for school."

"You're kidding right?" Archer asked. "The War's started and you want to go to school still? We got attacked there." She stood there thinking it over for a moment. "On second thought, I'm up for it. I've never actually _had_ a fight in a school before."

"We don't know who the other masters are. For all we know, they could be other students like Emiya. And if they are, then don't you think they'd find it weird if we were absent on the day after the War started? I know I would."

"Very well then." Arthas agreed. "I suppose it _would_ be best to act as normal as possible. Until we find them, anyone could be a suspect. And for the love of me Shirou, try not to get yourself killed for today at least.

"Sure thing. But I can handle it." It was at times like this the boy reminded Arthas of himself. Before the Scourge.

He hoped that nothing would happen for _today_ at least.

**Well Arthas should know better than to jinx himself like that. Sorry if I end up repeating some facts. My original draft had some things I liked, so I just added to them when I rewrote it. But now we've seen all the Servants. And a funny scene with Alex Mercer. That is going to be my running gag. Everytime we meet him, his lab get destroyed by something. It won't happen every chapter, but it will happen.**

**And as a treat, I'm going to reveal Berserker's stat sheet. I chose all the abilities I'm sure fit him/her the best. Enjoy.**

Berserker

Name: Leah (Diablo)

Series: Diablo

Master: Illyasviel von Einzbern

Alignment: Lawful Good (Chaotic Evil)

Parameters

Strength: D (A+++)

Endurance: C (A)

Agility: B (C)

Magical Power: A (A+++)

Good Luck: E

Noble Phantasm: EX

Class Skills:

Independent Action (A)

**Independent Action** is the ability to remain independent even when rejecting the prana supply from the Master. At the higher ranks, it is also possible to remain for extended periods of time in this world without an established contract. It is both useful and troublesome depending on the disposition of the Servant and the rank of Independent Action. Acting in autonomy from the Master's prana supply, the Master can concentrate their own prana on large spells, or the Servant will be fine even in the case they cannot supply prana due to injury. The downside is that they can be harder to control and keep by their side, making the only true way to command them by utilizing Command Spells. Due to Berserker's powerful nature and ability to devour fear, he can remain in this world for a week even after losing his Master. However, to use Noble Phantasms of great prana consumption, back up from the Master is necessary.

_Diablo obeys no mortal. He sneers at them and desires their complete destruction. He refuses to obey a little human girl._

Mad Enhancement (EX)

**Mad Enhancement** raises basic parameters in exchange of hindering mental capacities. In some cases, also seals away Personal Skills. At this level Mad Enhancement can rank-up parameters, but robs Berserker of most of his reason. Berserker is nearly impossible to command while under Mad Enhancement.

_While his domain is of fear, Diablo is known to be a relentless berserker in battle, destroying anything that gets in his way._

Magic Resistance (A)

**Magic Resistance** grants protection against magical effects. Differently from the Resistance effect that merely rejects prana, this ability cancels the spells altogether. Cancel spells of _A-Rank_ or below. In practice, the Servant is untouchable to modern magi, so it would not be an exaggeration to title the Servant a "Magus Killer".

_His demonic blood grants him protection from lesser spells, but skilled mages can inflict damage to him with their spells._

Territory Creation (A)

**Territory Creation** is the skill to build a special terrain that is advantageous to oneself as a magus. If Berserker is given enough time, he can defile the land and spawn demons to serve him.

_The demons of Hell and their domain spread within a Great Evil's presence. It is theorized that they leave demons like humans leave footprints._

Personal Skills:

Battle Continuation (A)

**Battle Continuation** is the strength of vitality for predicaments. Also, the ability to withdraw from combat and reach allied territory alive after being defeated. At A level it makes it possible to fight even with deadly injuries and can remain alive so long as one does not receive a decisive fatal wound.

_Diablo has continued fighting until the last breath has left him, taking down as many enemies as he can._

Demonic Defender of the State (EX)

**Demonic Defender of the State** is the capacity of a Servant to mark a region as his personal dominion by securing the surrounding leylines prior to an engagement. At this level Berserker can increase his stats by one rank as long as he doesn't leave the area.

_Diablo's power is greater within the walls of Hell. He is not completely invincible, but he is far stronger than if he was attacked outside._

Discernment of the Poor (A)

**Discernment of the Poor** is insight to see through the opponent's character and attribute. Berserker can see into a person's soul, and see what they fear the most.

_Part of his power grants him the ability to see what mortals fear most. He can then manipulate them with that fear._

Demonic Beast (EX)

**Demonic Beast**is the opposite of Divinity, measuring whether one has the soul of a monster. Being a Demonic Beast can render one vulnerable to Holy items and magic, though they must be equal or greater than the Servant's rank or else they will be defiled in their presence. Demonic Beast increases the power of the Servant's attacks, and imbues their magic with demonic power. This can allow them to do greater damage to a Servant with Divinity, but again, higher levels are needed.

_As a Prime Evil, one of the three greatest Lords of Hell, Diablo is the Devil Personified. This increased after he managed to trick all the lords into merging into Tathamet, the First Evil._

Eternal Arms Mastership (A)

**Eternal Arms Mastership** prevents degradation of fighting skills when under the effect of mental hindrance. Berserker's attacks are mindless destruction, meaning he does not suffer any degradation in destroying things.

_While Diablo is capable of complex planning, he prefers simply charging in and striking at random, without skill or talent. As he has nearly destroyed the Forces of Heaven many times, it's clearly working for him._

Mental Pollution (A)

**Mental Pollution** makes it highly possible to shut out any mental interference Thaumaturgy, due possessing a distorted mentality. However, at the same time it becomes impossible to come to an understanding with individuals that do not possess an equivalent rank of mental pollution. At this rank one is completely unable to understand their Servant, only being able to comprehend their goals.

_As a force of pure evil, Diablo is in comprehendible to most mortals. They merely have to make do with chasing after his destruction, hoping he has not achieved his goals._

Monstrous Strength (A)

**Monstrous Strength** is an ability possessed by monsters and beasts, temporary boost of the _Strength_ parameter by one rank for a time limit determined by the ranking of this skill.

Natural Body (B)

**Natural Body** is the possession of a perfect body as a living being from birth. The owner of this Skill is treated as if his **STR** is always _Rank-Up_.

_Even though he always possesses mortals, his body is based on his original form. Therefore, it is at the height of power and strength, even when aged to nearly nothing._

Prana Burst (Flames) (A)

**Prana Burst (Flames)** is a version of _Prana Burst_ that infuses weapons with prana that imparts a flame effect.

_Diablo is a demon of fire, using it as waves and lasers._

Shapeshifting (B)

**Shapeshifting** refers to both borrowing bodies and appearance change. A method used by the millenary spirits of foxes and badgers of China that are put on par with Tamamo-no-Mae. At this rank one can only use illusions on other items, but they **can** possess and warp a person's body, along with changing his form.

_After he was trapped inside the Soulstone, Diablo can only act when he possesses someone. He can create illusions to aid him in terrifying the living._

Noble Phantasms

**The Lord of Terror (Anti-Unit) (Self)**

Berserker turns into Diablo, increasing almost all stats, but making her monstrous and evil. Necessary to use her other Phantasms. Cannot be used in conjunction with _Memories of My Friends_.

**The Soulstone of Terror (Anti-Unit) (Self)**

As long as Berserker's Soulstone is recovered, he can possess anyone and gain a new body. This must be shattered to kill him.

**Realm of Despair (Anti-Group)**

Diablo creates a Reality Marble based on his realm. All Servants inside must test their bravery against the Marble's terror rating of B.

**The Wretched Light Must Be Eradicated (Anti-Army)**

Berserker summons Demonic energy that can either be unleashed as rune beneath enemy Servants, or a stream of red lightning that can be redirected.

**Memories of My Friends (Anti-Army)**

Berserker summons the spirits of the Nephalem to fight for her. However, once they fall they cannot be used in that War again. Cannot be used with _The_ _Lord of Terror_.

**Yes, I know that Lea doesn't have many powers. We don't really see her do much apart from use arrows. They're planning on releasing her on Heroes of the Strom later I've read, but we can't wait till then. And yes, we **_**will**_** see the Nephalem. This is going to be good.**

**I hope I got Demonic Beast right. The Type Moon wiki doesn't really talk about it other than that it's the opposite of Divinity. So I just made up some stuff. This means that Arthas is the only one that can really stand up against that skill without many problems. (Well, aside from the fact that Diablo is a **_**freaking**_** Lord of Hell).**

**Next chapter, we're going to have some good fun at the school. And a battle royale.**


	4. The Queen, Crook, Soldier, and Jester

Chapter 4: The Queen, the Criminal, the Soldier, and the Jester

**(7:30am, Fuyuki Streets)**

Shirou nearly walked into several poles from being so busy thinking this whole thing over. He knew that it would've been dangerous – Lancer showed him how ready Servants were to kill – but he never imagined he would almost die in his very first fight. And that other Berserker, Black Berserker. He was definitely not normal. He just showed up out of nowhere, threw them all around after making some jokes, and he clearly knew more than he should. Not to mention the fact that Shirou had a half-sister. So then that lady in the bikini was… He blushed as he realised he saw Kiritsugu's wife. So that's what that little girl would look like as an adult. But she barely looked older than 12. Certainly not old enough to be a part of this war. When did all this stuff get so complicated?

"I still can't believe you didn't bring Saber with you." Rin said crossly. "Don't you take this thing seriously? You almost died twice now."

"I don't think Saber can make herself invisible." Shirou argued. "Besides, I'm a bit nervous around her. She admits she was a killer. How do I know she won't start draining magic from people like Lancer does?"

"That's bullshit." Archer said, appearing next to them, her massive breasts bouncing like crazy. "Admit it, you just don't want to bring your wet dream around the place. Still, she _was_ damn sexy in that skin-tight suit of hers. Rowr." Shirou was glad he wasn't the only one blushing, as Rin's cheeks lit up red. "You should totally bone her before this war's over. Girl could probably use a lover."

"Is everything about sex to you?" Rin asked angrily. "Now, fade away already. You're causing a scene."

"I'm not the one screaming at a figment of my imagination." Archer countered, fading into thin air. Rin growled in frustration over her Servant. Clearly this wasn't what she wanted.

"I hate Archers. They're completely useless." She gritted out, walking faster to school. Shirou looked at her in confusion. From what Arthas told him, Archers were actually pretty good.

So why did she think they were useless?

* * *

**(1:30pm, Fuyuki School)**

Shirou was feeling very jumpy today. Ever since Rin went on ahead, he felt like someone had been watching him. He couldn't see anyone that was interested in him, but his instincts were still screaming like mad. It was getting so bad he nearly drew his sword on anyone that startled him. Which was nearly everyone today. He _had_ to get a grip on himself. He sighed in relief as he entered the Student Council Room, confident that he couldn't be startled in there. To his surprise, he found his friend Issei Ryuudou sleeping away at the desk. He never acted like that.

"What? What is it? Is school over?" He mumbled as Shirou shook him awake.

"No, school's still got a couple of hours to go. Look, if you're having trouble sleeping then stay home for the day."

"Nope. Our newest guest is creepy. He's some kind of travelling clown, but he's giving me nightmares."

"A travelling clown?" Did those still exist today? He thought they went out of style back in the 40's or something.

"Yeah I know. Mr Souichirou agreed to keep an eye on him for us. And a good thing too, since he's been causing us nothing but trouble. Why, just last night, he stole and crashed a red car not far from us. When my brother questioned him, he said 'I thought I could paint it red, but I didn't have enough dogs. So I smashed it.' And then there's his creepy robot. It looks like a skeleton and keeps screeching about 'Squishies' or something. And it's so damn stealthy. I didn't even realise it was next to me at breakfast until it yelled at me."

"Nightmare." Shirou agreed. "Uncle Arthas would've thrown out someone like that long ago."

"I know, but the Temple believes in Sacred Hospitality. We have to let him stay as long as he doesn't do anything too criminal." At this point, the door opened and Shirou nearly had his blade out of its scabbard before he realised who it was.

"Souichirou sir." He stammered, trying to hide his blade again. That would be _extremely_ bad. He nearly tried to kill a teacher. Souichirou merely stared at him for a moment before turning to Issei.

"Mr Ryuudou, could you please check with Miss Mitsuzuri whether or not Miss Shepard is allowed to keep an eye on Shinji?" He said to him. "Also, Mr Cicero has informed me that he will be out and about entertaining tonight. He will most likely be late back to the Temple."

"Of course. Will he take that robot with him?"

"No. He said that Nefi is to watch over one of the gates for us." With that, Mr Souichirou left, closing the door behind him. Shirou sighed in relief.

"What was that about Shepard?" He asked, honestly curious. Why would she need permission to hang around to keep watch on Shinji?

"You've met her, I take it? Well, she's a lot stronger than she looks. Shinji was humiliating some more new members, when Shepard just showed up out of nowhere and booted him across the field. She then grabbed him in a headlock, and made him apologise to all the first-years he had made fun of. Mitsuzuri found it hilarious."

"And she wants to stay on to watch over him?"

"Yeah. And she's very good at Archery. Bullseyes all the time. Must be that soldier training she's gone through."

"Yeah. I got that vibe from her too. Mitsuzuri's definitely going to agree if she can keep Shinji from going crazy."

"I know. Well, see you later." Issei said as he got out of his seat. "I should probably talk to her while I remember. Catch you later." Shirou sat down as Issei closed the door behind him. His heart couldn't take much more of this.

"You shouldn't be alone with anyone." He yelled as he heard Saber's voice in the room. He spun around, clonking his leg against the table, to see her reappearing in a series of tiny hexagons. She was still dressed in that white suit of hers, but she was now holding onto a long rifle of some kind.

"Saber?" He asked, confused. "What are you doing here? And how did you do that?"

"I was a Ghost before I became a Zerg." She explained. "My legend still includes that, and I can use my old form if I have to, along with all the powers I had in it. As for tailing you, Arthas told me to. He was concerned that you might be attacked while in…" She stopped talking as a pulse of energy ran through their bodies, Shirou's command seals aching. Just like last night. "There is a Servant waiting on at the archery range." She said crossly, fading out of view. "We have to hurry."

"Now? But there's students in the school. We can't fight while they're still here and in danger."

"And if we don't fight, then this Servant could kill them all for mana. I imagine our enemy will try to keep the existence of the Grail War secret from anyone else. We could win this."

"But what if you're wrong? What if all we do is get my classmates injured?" He countered. He couldn't believe she was seriously considering this. She was willing to kill anyone if it meant she'd win. She stared at him, and seemingly noticed his expression, because she faded back into view. She looked at him with sad eyes, before walking over to the fire alarm. As the bell rang continuously, she gave him a look. Smiling, he rushed on over to the archery club. With everyone else leaving the grounds, this would make things less dangerous.

"You remind me of an old friend. He would've done the same thing." He could barely hear Saber's feet over his own as he rushed down the stairs, making sure to stay out of anyone's way. If they noticed him going the wrong way, or ran into Saber, there would be a _lot_ of awkward questions for him to answer. As he jumped down one stairway, he nearly ran into Rin.

"There you are." She said crossly. "Come on. We need to find that Servant. I assumed that an idiot like you would give us away by pulling the fire alarm."

"Hey. I'm in this to _stop_ people dying, not cause more deaths."

"Exactly. You're going to get us killed. We don't even know which Servant this is. They may have some powerful Noble Phantasms that they couldn't use while there were witnesses."

"And if they're as bad as you think, they might just kill people to be able to use it." He countered, thundering down the hallway. They rushed out onto the field just in time. Behind them, a line of students came rushing past the door. Any slower, and they would've been swept away. They rounded the last corner carefully, just in time to see Shinji standing smugly by the dojo. And Shepard was standing in the middle of the field.

"No way." Shirou whispered. Could Shepard really be a Servant? But then that would mean…

"You can come out." Shepard said clearly, looking slightly to the left of their hiding spot. "I can sense your Command Seals. Lay down your arms and surrender, and I will not need to harm you."

"Quit giving them time to act Rider." Shinji said angrily. "Just attack already, while they're busy." Shepard glared at him, causing him to wither under her gaze. She then suddenly rolled away, a gun forming in her hands as black armour covered her body. She was holding onto a brick of a gun that made a very loud boom as it fired. Saber reappeared, being thrown back by the blast as Rider rolled away again. Archer rematerialized and started shooting at her, but Rider got behind some cover and shot back with a small, bug-like gun. The difference in their styles was clear to everyone. Archer believed in 'spray n' pay', aiming in her enemy's general direction and hoping for the best. Rider on the other hand was only letting off short bursts that kept smashing into Archer's armour. Archer ran as she went, jumping high to throw a ball of ice at Rider's position. Rider dodged it at the last moment, only to nearly get taken out by Saber's wings. She tried to slash the space girl again, but Rider retaliated with an orange blade that seemed made of amber. As she moved away again, she placed a hand by her ear.

"**Normandy, Requesting Support. Subject Zero and Berserker."** She moved behind some cover as a strange flying ship about the size of a large truck hovered overhead. A door opened on the side, and two people jumped out. Well, one was a person, Shirou noted. The other was… some kind of dinosaur. The person was female, with a shaven head and lots of tattoos on her body. She wasn't wearing much, dressed in some kind of cargo pants and a vest, but she gave off a killing intent. The dinosaur was tall. If he wasn't hunched over, he would be even taller than Archer. His head was pretty big, with many small plates covering the top of it and reptilian eyes watching them. He wore a dark suit with gold lights all over it and a circular thing on the chest. The girl looked at them, roared in fury, and then glowed with wavy blue energy. Saber and Archer jumped clear as a line of explosions raced at them. The dinosaur laughed as he raced after them.

"This is why I like you Rider." He said as he managed to shoulder charge Archer. "Even when you're dead you still give us a good time. That human's going to be fun."

"Then she's all yours, Grunt." Rider replied, pinning Archer with firepower. Grunt laughed again and charged for Archer, actually knocking her down mid-jump. Archer was covered in fire, but Grunt just laughed and punched her away. Meanwhile, Saber and Subject Zero were having their own fight. Both were very powerful with their 'spells', causing a lot of property damage. Saber tried to get close, but Zero was keeping her away.

"**The Swarm is Here: Zerglings."** Saber shouted as she fired another pulse of energy. She was quickly surrounded by strange, fleshy meteors that created a layer of purple moss on the ground. But what everyone noticed the most was the swarm of monsters rushing out of the moss. They were small, about the size of a dog, and with two pincer-like legs out in front. They had small mouths full of teeth, and a large fin on their back. They quickly moved towards Zero.

"I will destroy you!" Zero shouted as she blasted them away with her powers. But this gave Saber enough time to close the distance. Her wings nearly reached Zero, but they clashed against some kind of force-field. Zero quickly blasted her with a shotgun, before smashing her with a power fist. Then, she started backing away while more 'Zerglings' rushed out of the moss.

"Keep Saber occupied, Jack." Rider shouted at her, blasting some of the Zerglings down with precision. "How are you doing Grunt?"

"Goddamn- *POW* -Fucking- *SMASH* -Anal- *BANG*- Bitch!" Archer grunted as she got in a fistfight with Grunt. While she was strong, none of her blows were keeping the berserker down. He just laughed and smashed her down with his head, before blasting her away with a powerful concussive blast.

"She's a lot like you Rider. A weaker, bitchier you. This is my second favourite fight yet."

"What was your favourite one?"

"Taking on the Reapers!" Grunt yelled as he shoulder-charged Archer. But this time Archer had had enough. She slammed her fist into the ground, causing Grunt to be suspended in the air. After shooting him with a shotgun, she then punched him, causing him to go flying back towards Rider. Rider merely ducked, ignoring Grunt as he sailed past her. By now, all the Zerglings were dead, and Saber was stuck in a beam-o-war with Jack. They were evenly matched for the time being.

**The Swarm is Here: Nydus Worm."** Saber gritted out, the ground underneath her crumbling as something travelled through it. A giant, worm-like creature burst out of the ground, roaring loudly. It had two large mouth flaps, along with a smaller jaw positioned perpendicular to them. And loads and _loads_ of teeth. It loomed overhead, before angling down towards Jack. She was unable to move without getting blasted by Saber, leaving her vulnerable. Nothing was going to save her.

Or at least, that's what everyone thought until Grunt shoulder-charged her out of the line of fire, getting swallowed up by the Worm. But before it could even go back underground, its mouth suddenly exploded with the force of a bomb going off. Everyone was splattered with blood and gore, before it all faded into mana. Grunt strolled out of the corpse, smirking to himself as he licked away at some blood on his arm.

"…Ok, _that_ was fucking badass." Archer said after a few seconds. They all geared up to charge in again, when they heard some high-pitched giggling. As they looked around, the giggling grew louder and louder. Until a man dressed like a jester rode in on some kind of… gopher-elephant-thing. It was as large as an elephant, with brown fur and blue claws and tusks. It certainly looked like a dangerous enemy.

"Oh my, oh my. What have we here?" The jester said. "A cat that's a bat that's a rat that's a mat that's a that that's a this that's a those? Or is it a door that's a floor that's a drawer that's a jaw that's a whore that's a yours that's a mine?" He giggled again, leaving them all confused. "Well, no matter. From the amount of mana in you, you must all be Servants. Oh, rutabaga! Do you have any idea how much mana I could've gotten from this school? It doesn't grow on trees, you know." He seemed to think about it for a moment. "Well ok, technically they do. But that's beside the point. All I want to do is go and see the city, meet some new friends, kill them horribly for their mana, destroy the world, and then go home and watch children shows. Is that really so hard?"

"Fuck you asshole." Archer shouted. "If anyone's taking over the world, it's gonna be me."

The jester sighed. "Oh dear, oh dear. I had such high hopes. Oh well, then I guess it's time for din-dins." He clapped his hands, and several more gopher-elephants game charging out of the trees by the grounds. "Fly my Megalodoths. Fly like the fat, flightless monsters you are." Everyone got moving as they were attacked by the creatures. As the jester moved high into the trees, everyone got into the action (With the exception of Shinji, who cried and wet his pants). Saber sliced two apart, before placing power into another and making it explode violently. Archer threw another ball of ice, freezing them solid, before slamming into the ground hard enough to make a crater and shatter them. Rider moved in front of Shinji, calmly shooting down any creature that got too close with a powerful sniper rifle that looked like it had two barrels over one another. Shirou watched as a single shot went right through one monster and imbedded itself inside another monster. One shot actually killed three monsters at once. Grunt, as expected, stopped one of them cold with a push, before shattering its skull with his head. He then went on to shooting more with his shotgun, laughing all the while even as the monster created a snowstorm. And Jack was throwing them around with her powers, crushing them within the blue field.

And Shirou? He was finally getting to use his sword properly. As monsters rushed him, he quickly moved to one side and sliced through the head, leaving the body to stumble to a halt behind him. Rin was blinding them with a spell she fired from her finger, blowing out their eyes. It didn't take the lot of them long to deal with all the monsters.

"Son of a Submarine!" The Jester cursed, stomping like mad before glaring at them. "You may have one the round, but next time won't be so easy. I clearly underestimated you, but soon you will underestimate _me_!" And with that, he pranced into the trees, hiding from them. Both teams turned back to face each other.

"Hold on." Rider said, raising one hand in a fist. "That man made it clear that he intended to kill everyone in the school for more mana. While I doubt anyone else could be called a 'good guy', we have to stop him."

"Yeah, letting an enemy gain more power never works out for you." Archer agreed. Saber merely nodded, watching Jack carefully.

"So then we've agreed. We'll put our fight on hold until we stop whatever plan he has."

"Rider what are you doing?" Shinji yelled. "We had them on the ropes. You and your worthless team could've beaten them if that madman hadn't shown up. Now hurry up and…" Shinji gulped as Rider marched over to him, looking angry.

"While I want to win this too, I will not let civilians die if I can stop it. Alliances are not unheard of during the War, and we have to kill him anyway. So get your head out of your ass, and let me do my job." Shinji was nearly wilting under her gaze, nodding quickly.

"I still think we should kill these fuckers." Jack said, looking ready to keep fighting. "Even with only three of us at a time, we could still take them _and_ that fucking Jester on." The way Rider was looking at them made Shirou get very worried. But then he remembered something that he heard today. Issei telling him about a travelling clown.

"Wait." He said quickly. "I might know where that Servant is staying. But I'll only tell you if you agree to let us go for today."

"Agreed." Rider nodded. "Jack, Grunt, stand down." Jack swore up a storm, but they both complied. "Alright then. Tell us what you know."

"I have a friend here in school called Issei. He and his family are in charge of the Ryuudou Temple, and he told me about this weird and creepy clown that was staying with them lately. From what he told me, I'm pretty sure it's that Servant. And he's got a robot helping him."

"Must be a Noble Phantasm or something. Normally I'd be a bit doubtful of a clown being Servant material, but I've seen weirder stuff than that."

"Give me 5 minutes, 7 prostitutes and a very thick pipe, and I'll show you weird." Archer countered cheerfully. Everyone just stared at her for a moment before going back to the conversation.

"For now, we should hold off on attacking the Temple. I don't doubt that Jester won't hesitate to take prisoners if he thinks it would give him an edge. And we still don't know what his Noble Phantasms and skills are, aside from summoning monsters."

"In case you haven't noticed, I have an army." Saber said in an annoyed tone. She mustn't wait for much back home.

"All I noticed was how easily we took them down. And I'd imagine that an army would cost more mana than you've got. We stick to the plan and wait." Something about Rider made Shirou want to agree with her. To follow her into anything. "And don't think this means we've forgotten about the War. The next time we fight, I will end you both."

"Lady, every second person I run into gives me a death threat. You're nothing but shit." Archer waved her off, before walking away. "Still, we totally scared that freak out of here. Drinks, drugs and bitches on me!"

Does she ever take anything seriously?

* * *

**(2:00pm, Fuyuki Streets)**

"I'm surprised Saber got to the school so fast." Rin was saying to Archer as they walked back home. Archer was taking the appearance of a tourist, Hawaiian shirt included. Though, of course, hers was a lot sluttier. "How do you suppose she got there?"

"Well, I can tell you your boyfriend didn't summon her there. He still has all three Command Seals. But that catsuit of hers? Looked pretty high-fucking-tech. Since she just appeared out of thin air that wasn't materialising like I do, she must have some kind of cloaking tech built into it."

"So you're saying she was cloaked the whole time." Rin was getting more and more annoyed. Why couldn't she have gotten her instead? Granted, she fought completely naked, but she had the stats of a Caster as well, along with Presence Concealment. Until Rider, they could've beaten everyone with those skills. Instead, she ended up with a drunken idiot for a Servant, and Saber went to a deadbeat clueless idiot. Unbelievable.

"So anyway, you mentioned earlier that knew Archers as in _plural_. You mind explaining? Because unless you got some good lotion there's no way you're old enough to have fought in the last war, whenever that was."

"I didn't fight in it. But my father did. He summoned an Archer Servant, and he died because of him." Even after all this time, it still hurt. No father, no mother, and her sister didn't want anything to do with her. The first few nights she cried herself to sleep, before waking up in sorrow. She had lost everyone. "He promised to protect my father, and he lied to me."

"Ouch. That sucks. My daddy was a gun nut that used to hit me and molest me all the time. So one day I grabbed a gun off him, killed him, and then took his whole stash and went on a partying spree."

"That explains so much about you." Rin deadpanned. "But what I want to know is how did an idiot like you get to be such a powerful Servant?"

"I wasn't always an idiot. Originally I was just a random girl, minding my own fucking business, getting an offer from a sexy hooker. But there were a few gangs in my home city of Stillwater. The Los Carnales, the West Side Rollers, and the Vice Kings were all fighting over turf. I was just passing by when a bunch of them got into a fight. The last survivor was about to gun me down for kicks when I got saved by another, smaller gang. The Third Street Saints. Man, those dudes changed my life."

"Changed your life? From the sounds of it, you were exactly the same back then as you are now. You were a drug taking crazy drunk, trigger-happy bimbo."

"Yeah, but after meeting the Saints I was very good at all that shit. Anyway, the Saints were a small time gang. I mean, the others controlled entire islands, while the Saints were losing turf to everyone else. After they got me joining, I helped them get their turf back for them. And then I pretty much single-handedly wiped out the other gangs and took all of Stillwater for the Saints. Fucking. Badass."

"That's it? You became a hero by taking over a city?"

"Ah, ah. I wasn't finished yet. I'm not up for some big as history lesson, so bottom-line was that after I took the city, I got blown up. Managed to survive that, escaped from the prison I was in, found out that the Saints had fallen and three new gangs had shown up, and then I broke out and got my gang in charge again. We even took over a major corporation known as Ultor. After that, we became big time rich dudes. Fingers in practically everything. You name it, we did it."

"What, even legal stuff?" Rin found that hard to believe.

"_Especially_ the legal shit. We made more money per minute than I ever got in a month of being a fuck toy. But we still did the fun shit, like robbing banks. But the bank we robbed turned out to belong to some secret, world-spanning group called the Syndicate. They killed my best friend, so I took them apart, bit by bit. The fighting got so bad, that the Government brought in this new-fangled military group called Stag to stop us. But they got desperate enough to try and frame us for blowing up a prized landmark, and I stopped them. The city loved us so much, we became even bigger celebrities. Oh, and the guy in charge of Stag went nuts and became a terrorist."

"…I'm sorry. I'm trying to figure out how someone goes from saving a country from the likes of you, to _attacking_ that country."

"Bitch snapped like a pussy. He was going to blow up Washington, but I stopped his missile. The people were so grateful, they made me President.

"I bet it took you a week to run the country into the ground."

"Hey, I'll have you know it took me 5 years to fuck things up. And no one gave a shit because by then we got invaded by aliens."

"…What did you do?"

"Punched the fucking daylights out of them. Oh, you mean to get them invading. I didn't do shit. They just showed up out of nowhere, I punched their leader in the face, he kicked my ass with his psycho mind powers, and then I woke up in a virtual world. I took over that, got me and my crew out of there, and we fucked up his face. The Zin believe in might makes right, so I…"

"You got an alien empire for yourself." The more she listened to Archer, the more believable this all got.

"And a time machine. Which was good, because the fuckers blew up Earth."

"I blame you. From now on anything bad that happens in your stories, I'm immediately going to blame you for it."

"Yeah well, fuck you too."

"Hey, did you meet any cat aliens while you were doing stuff?

"I met some fucking sexy catgirls with the libido you wouldn't believe, but other than that, no. Why?"

"…No reason."

* * *

**(Unknown, The Great Clock)**

Ratchet could've sworn his ears were burning for some reason. He quickly checked to make sure they weren't under a heat source – again – before returning to his work. It had taken him months to do this, but he was finally there.

"Ratchet, I understand how you feel." Clank said to him as he sat on top of Aphelion. "But Orvus had a very good reason to make time travel impossible. The fabric's just too fragile."

"The Grail can travel through time." Ratchet argued. He had to go back. He had to find out whether Kotomine was killed or not. And Rin…

Gods she must hate him.

"The Grail accesses the Throne of Heroes, which is outside of Time and Space. It doesn't actually grab you from your time period."

"I have to agree with him Ratchet." His girlfriend, Talwyn said as he carried over another piece of equipment. "This sounds way too dangerous. I've already lost Cronk and Zephyr. I don't want to lose you too." Ratchet stopped working and looked at her. She looked so beautiful, but so sad too. He pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry Tal. But I made a promise to a little girl, and I broke that promise. I have to make sure that the bastard's paid for what he did."

"But what if you die? You're not as powerful as you were as a Heroic Spirit. You're just… you now."

"I've still got enough weaponry to ruin anyone's day. And it'll be _more_ than enough to deal with Kotomine." He turned back round, soldered some more joints, before placing the whole thing into Aphelion. "There. All done. Hopefully, this'll get us back to Earth within the same year we left."

"I do not like this Ratchet. What if we cause another time crash?"

"Well, you know what they say. No sacrifice, no victory. If we don't try it out, we'll never know what happens. Now all aboard who's coming aboard."

"Wait!" They heard Captain Quark shouting behind them. Ratchet groaned as he watched the very large ex-superhero, ex-mayor, and ex-Galactic Ranger/Q-Force run at them. How did he even find The Great Clock? "Take me with you on your daring adventure. I will be the greatest weapon you have."

"Gee, I don't know Quark." Ratchet said as he turned back to Aphelion, making sure he had everything. "It's going to be pretty dangerous."

"Pfft. You're going to the past. We can run rings around those prehistoric yahoos."

"Oh, they're not the problem. It's the heroes of old that are probably fighting down there. The strongest, greatest, most deadliest people of all time. They've got powers that we mere mortals could never imagine. When I was last there, a few of them could summon entire armies out of thin air, and my last opponent used an attack that overpowered the Zodiac."

"The Zodiac?" Quark gulped. "You mean the weapon regarded as one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed, the one that's banned on over 100 planets?"

"That's the one. And there could be people even stronger down there. But if you'd rather stay at home I'll understand." Quark looked like he'd love to run and hide, but then he looked determined.

"Never Ratchet. A true hero never lets his comrade face such terrifying odds on his own. What kind of hero would I be if I didn't join you? But never fear, Captain Quark has all the strength he needs to fend off all manner of threats." Ratchet sighed as he saw that for once, mentioning danger _didn't_ dissuade Quark from coming along.

It was going to be a tight fit.

**Well whadda you know. Ratchet's coming along too. And boy does he have unfinished business. Rin better be ready to see him again.**

**The fight between Grunt and the Nydus Worm was based on a Mass Effect 2 trailer that shows Grunt fighting a Thresher Maw, getting eaten by it, and blowing its head off with a carnage shot, which I thought was pretty badass. And I figured that Jack would be an equal to Kerrigan, since they're both seen as the strongest Biotics/Psy users in their series. And hey, Caster can summon monsters from his game. That should give people a fight. As for Saber not using Cloak before, I forgot about it till this chapter, when I wanted her to be at the school to fight Jack. So we'll just assume that she forgot she had it too, seeing as she didn't have her Ghost powers once she was Zergified. And I explained a bit about Archer's history. For those of you wondering why she was a woman for the first part, Volition said somewhere that since they didn't have female PCs until the second game, retroactively your character was female in the first game.**

**Finally, I'll show you Saber's Stat sheet, since we got to see a bit more about her powers in this chapter. Enjoy.**

Saber

Name: Sarah Kerrigan

Series: StarCraft

Master: Shirou Emiya

Alignment: True Neutral

Parameters

Strength: C

Endurance: A

Agility: A

Magical Power: EX

Good Luck: D

Noble Phantasm: EX

Class Skills:

Magic Resistance (B)

**Magic Resistance** grants protection against magical effects. Differently from the Resistance effect that merely rejects prana, this ability cancels the spells altogether. At this rank Saber can cancel spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by _High-Thaumaturgy_ and _Greater Rituals_, it is difficult for her to be affected.

_By focusing her mental defenses, Saber can resist incoming spells_

Riding (A+)

**Riding** is expertise to ride animals and vehicles. At this rank Creatures on the level of _Phantasmal Beast_ and _Divine Beast_ can be used as mounts. However, that does not apply to members of the _Dragon Kind._

_Saber has been taught through her Ghost training on how to pilot most ground and air vehicles of the Terrans._

Presence Concealment (A+)

**Presence Concealment** is the capacity to hide one's presence as a Servant. It is a common skill to the Assassin class. At this rank it is possible to disappear completely and become almost impossible to be detected. However, efficiency will decrease once preparations to attack are taken.

Territory Creation (EX)

**Territory Creation** is the skill to build a special terrain that is advantageous to oneself as a magus. At this rank, Saber can create a domain that is advantageous to herself and her units through creep.

_Wherever the Zerg go, they create a layer of Creep across the surface allowing them greater skills, speed, and defense while on it._

Personal Skills:

Animal Dialogue (C)

**Animal Dialogue** is communication of intention with animals that don't speak a "language of words". At this rank Saber can only get a simple understanding from infested animals since it's not like the intellect of the animals improve, so very complex nuances are not conveyed.

Battle Continuation (A)

**Battle Continuation** is the strength of vitality for predicaments. Also, the ability to withdraw from combat and reach allied territory alive after being defeated. At this rank it is possible to fight even with deadly injuries and can remain alive so long as one does not receive a decisive fatal wound.

_Zerg physiology makes it that they can regenerate from normally lethal wounds. However, enough damage can still kill them._

Demonic Defender of the State (EX)

**Demonic Defender of the State** is the capacity of a Servant to mark a region as his personal dominion by securing the surrounding leylines prior to an engagement. This skill is tied to Saber's **Territory Creation**, causing her even greater defenses on her territory.

Triple Summon

**Triple Summon** is a very rare personal skill possessed only by a select few Servants; it permits a Servant to simultaneously possess class skills from three distinct classes. Saber has been summoned as a Saber, Caster and Assassin class, granting her skills from all three classes.

_As a Terran, Saber was skilled in the art of assassination and Psy powers. But as an Infested Terran, she became skilled in close combat and even greater Psy powers than before._

Eye of the Mind (True) (B)

**Eye of the Mind (True)** is a heightened capacity for observation, refined through experience. At this rank Saber is capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning.

_Saber has been in many battles, and has often found a way to turn the tide her way._

Innocent Monster (A)

**Innocent Monster** is an attribute possessed by Servants whose history and existence have been distorted by the monstrous reputations they accrued across the course of their life and thereafter. As a consequence, the Servant's abilities and appearance have been rendered to conform to the specifications of their legend. Incidentally, this personal skill cannot be removed. At this rank, Saber finds it difficult to maintain her Ghost form in combat, often losing it and the powers as soon as a Servant attacks.

_While Saber was a capable Ghost, she is best known for being the Queen of Blades, a monster that slaughtered billions._

Instinct (B)

**Instinct** is the power to "feel" the most favorable developments for oneself during battle. Saber is capable of making great decisions through instinct, but it is dulled when she is angry to the point of non-existence.

_Saber's hatred of Mengsk nearly cost her everything, including her allies, her love and even her life. Only with the aid of James Raynor did she survive._

Military Tactics (B)

**Military Tactics** is tactical knowledge used not for one-on-one combat situations, but for battles where many are mobilized. Bonus modifiers are provided during use of one's own _Anti-Army_ Noble Phantasm or when dealing against an enemy _Anti-Army_ Noble Phantasm.

_As the Queen of the Zerg, Saber has often led her swarm to victory over the Terran and Protoss forces._

Monstrous Strength (A)

**Monstrous Strength** is an ability possessed by monsters and beasts, temporary boost of the _Strength_ parameter by one rank for a time limit determined by the ranking of this skill. At this rank this skill is always active.

Natural Body (A)

**Natural Body** is the possession of a perfect body as a living being from birth. The owner of this Skill is treated as if his **STR** is always _Rank-Up_.

_The Zerg DNA ensures that Saber is always at peak physical condition._

Pioneer of the Stars (EX)

**Pioneer of the Stars**) is the unique Skill given to heroes that became turning points in the human history. All difficult voyages and challenges which are considered "impossible" turn into "events that can be realized".

_At the time of her demise, Saber had completely changed the Koprulu Sector. She inadvertently caused the rise of the Sons of Korhal, thus the rise of the Terran Dominion and Emperor Arcturus Mengsk, became part of the Zerg and helped attack entire worlds, helped attack the Protoss homeworld of Aiur, destroyed the United Earth Directorate in the Sector, Led the Zerg on a bloody rampage, killed Mengsk, and then helped the Terran and the Protoss stop Amon, the last Xel'naga._

Prana Burst (A)

**Prana Burst** is the increase in performance caused by infusing one's weapons and body with magical energy and instantly expelling it. Simply put, recreating the effect of a jet burst by expending large amounts of prana. At this rank a normal weapon that is not on the level of a divine mystery can be destroyed in one blow. Raises defense in several times.

_As a defensive attack, Saber can unleash a powerful blast of psionic energy to debilitate or destroy surrounding enemies._

Presence Detection (B)

**Presence Detection** is the ability to detect other Servants and local mana sources. Through the use of her Zerg and her Psy powers, Saber can detect Servants from over 1 kilometer away. However, she will detect from lesser distance if she is not searching for them.

Self-Modification (A)

**Self-Modification** is the aptitude to merge one's own flesh with body parts of others. The higher the ranking in this skill, the further away one is from being a proper hero. At this rank Saber can have her body modified to do things that while abnormal, are within the biological capabilities.

_The Zerg are always about improving themselves even more, adding new traits they find that are desirable._

Ultimate One (Primordial One) (D)

**Ultimate One (Primordial One)** is the status of being an Ultimate One. By receiving back up from the planet, one's specs become one class above than the opposing enemy. Saber's rank is lessened by the fact that Char and Zerus are in another dimension and another time. Therefore, she can only increase them to the rank of her enemy.

_Saber managed to kill and absorb the strongest Zerg on Zerus, making her the Ultimate One of all the Zerg._

Noble Phantasms

**For I am the Swarm (Anti-World)**

Saber summons a Reality Marble based on Char, the Homeworld of the Zerg.

**The Ghost of the Past** **(Anti-Unit) (Self)**

Saber creates her old Ghost form, allowing her to stealth and scope enemies. However, this cancels out when Saber is in combat.

**You Made Us All Monsters (Anti-Unit)**

Saber charges objects and people with psionic energy, making them explode. Servants with at least B Endurance can survive the attack if charged.

**The Swarm is here (Anti-Unit)**

Saber can summon a single squad of units from her swarm, ranging from Zerglings to Ultralisks and Nydus Worms.

**Zerglings**: Low level creatures that focus on numbers rather than skill. Easily killed. Can be mutated into Raptors (Gain the ability to jump over things) or Spawnlings (Can spawn three Zerglings quickly). Can be turned into Banelings.

**Hydralisk**s: Ranged fighters that fire spikes at enemies. Can engage in melee with giant scythe claws. Can mutate into Lurkers (Fires waves of spikes when burrowed, effective against weaker enemies) or Impalers (Fires a single powerful spike, effective against tougher enemies).

**Roaches**: A long range fighter that can move while burrowed and has strong regenerative powers. Can mutate into Corpsers (Enemies killed by them spawn two roachlings) or Viles (Bile slows down enemies).

**Banelings**: Suicide units that roll to an enemy and explode, dealing lethal damage. Can be mutated into Splitters (Spawns two Baneling spawns when they die) or Hunters (Gain the ability to leap up and down cliffs and over obstructions).

**Swarm Hosts**: A siege unit that burrows to continuously spawn locusts that attack all enemies until the Swarm Host is destroyed. Can be mutated into Carrions (Spawn flying locusts that deal more damage, but last shorter) or Creepers (Can generate Creep when burrowed, can tunnel to any patch of Creep they know of).

**Infestors**: Can move while burrowed. Main attacks are focused on controlling or infesting enemy units.

**Queens**: Saber's lieutenants, Queens can heal other units or generate creep.

**Mutalisks**: Flying units that can attack land and air creatures, along with striking multiple enemies. Can be mutated into Brood Lords (Attack by launching broodlings at an enemy) or Vipers (Can help manage a battlefield)

**Utralisks**: Giant, powerful creatures. Attack close range with two giant scythe tusks. Can be mutated into Noxious (Causes poison damage during an attack) or Torrasque (Can revive itself once from death).

**Crawlers**: Crab-like creatures that burrow to attack. Can be Spine Crawlers (Attack ground units with a massive spike) or Spore Crawlers (Attack Air units with damaging spores). Both have Presence Detection.


	5. Betrayal Running Through my Veins

**Hey there everyone. It sounds like you guys are enjoying my story right now. I've had some great ideas since chapter 4, and I can't wait to show them to you guys. Right now we're getting into some more awesome fights, since I decided to just forget watching the episodes and wing it. I'm pretty sure I get the general idea, and this is way more fun. Part of that might be because I have an actual villain Servant instead of having to make one from nowhere just to unite everyone for a fun scene like in Fate of the Strong.**

**Now, to the reviewer that said that Saber would easily beat Jack, Heroic Spirits are changed by their legends. So Napoleon would be summoned shorter than he really was because everyone thinks of him as being really short. Since they both have legends stating they are the strongest 'psychic' users in their series, they're much more evenly matched than normal. That makes sense considering some of these guys range from gods and devils to regular robots. Think of it as 'Power Creep, Power Seep'.**

**Oh, and we finally get to see Lancer again. And Alex. Double bonus.**

**Have a good read.**

Chapter 5: Betrayal Running Through my Veins

**(8:00pm, Matou Manor)**

Shinji gnashed his teeth and cursed his foolish Servant. They had them. They _had_ them. Two weakened Servants right in front of them, along with Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka. He would've enjoyed showing her how tough he was after he stomped on her Servant. But no, his Servant let them go because some creepy freak was threatening people other than him. As if that mattered! Now she refused to obey any of his orders like she knew better. But most importantly, they had seen him. They knew he was a Master, an enemy. And Rider had vanished to go and talk to her worthless crew on that spaceship of theirs. The gall! And he couldn't do anything about it. He was under no illusions how a fight between them would end, and hurting Sakura for summoning the bitch was out of the question. He had seen her flip a car onto someone that failed to understand that she wasn't interested in him. So here he was, pacing away like mad while he waited for his Servant to come back. His temper kept growing and growing until he felt like his head was going to explode.

"You're going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep doing that." A sultry voice said out of thin air. Shinji squealed loudly as he jumped away from the voice, tripping over the carpet and falling on his ass. A light was flicked on to reveal a strangely dressed woman sitting in one of the leather chairs. She wore a long robe split down the side to reveal a smooth blue leg, with a bunched loop of fabric around her middle. Her chest was bare, save for a black leather bra revealing modest breasts, and a conical helmet rested in one hand, revealing her face. She was completely bald, save for two long tails dangling behind her and an ornate crest on her forehead. He also noted that instead of ears she had two spiked lumps at the side of her head. Her whole body was as blue as the sky.

"Who the hell are you?" he stammered. "How did you get in here? What do you want?"

"I am the Servant Lancer, here on orders of my Master." She replied, standing up and swaying sensually over to him. "He wishes to propose an alliance of sort between us. Saber and Archer are very dangerous, are they not? After all, Archer went up against a Berserker Servant and lived, while Saber seems to have a Triple Summon going for her. You do know what that means, do you not?"

"It…It means that she was summoned with the characteristics of three classes." He replied, gulping in horror. That meant she was even more dangerous than he suspected. How the hell was he going to survive _that_?

"Good. Then you understand why we need to remove them. I imagine that if we get them into an ambush, Rider would be able to make short work of them. Once they've been dealt with, we could then ambush Caster and his pet robot, leaving poor little Einzbern all on her own."

"But Rider refuses to obey me now. She simply acts as though I'm not here. I could use a Command Seal to make her obey, but I've only got three of them. And I'd have to waste one to stop her from attacking me in revenge."

"Well, luckily for you my Master has access to several Command Seals. I'm sure that 10 Command Seals would suffice?" Shinji's mind boggled at the sheer number. 10 Command Seals? With that, he could actually win this War. Then it would be child's play to silence Lancer and her Master once the dust had settled, leaving him the victor and granting his wish to become the Greatest Magi that ever lived. "And of course, I could always offer you some… 'company' after your fights. You don't want to be alone in your time of victory." She leaned closer, their chests almost touching as she kissed him. It was sensual and lovely, the kind of kiss that boys like him had wet dreams about, the kind that promised so much more. "Do we have a deal?"

"…Yes." He gasped, still buzzing from the kiss. Lancer smiled as she stood up, the rest of her clothes materialising as she grabbed her helmet. Now it was almost impossible to tell that she was not human in any way.

"Good. Order Rider to lure Saber and Archer to the Museum for the ambush. And afterwards you can meet my Master at the church. Don't take too long. I'll be waiting." And she faded into the shadows, no sign of her presence remaining.

Except for a conspicuously sticky patch on Shinji's pants.

* * *

**(8:10pm, Ryuudou Temple)**

Lancer was seething as she snuck out of the Matou residence. She was a Darth, a Lord of the Sith. While she enjoyed sex as much as any women with 'needs', she despised having to use it as a bargaining tool. She thought she had put all that behind her when she was transported to Korriban and the Sith Academy. Still, at least it came back to her easily enough. She supposed you couldn't really forget something that had been drilled into you the moment you were old enough to have tits. And despite her misgivings, Saber and Archer were a threat. Both were incredibly powerful Servants, and they were the only ones to have an alliance to begin with. Well, besides Caster and Assassin. But from her observations that only happened because Caster summoned Assassin. She'd normally be against having to let a fellow hero controlled by Command Seals like a dog. Allies are much more effective when you let them join you willingly rather than through threats and intimidation, along with being less likely to stab you in the back. But in this case it was the only way the little idiot could keep Rider in line. And her Master's Command Seals made it clear who was pulling the strings for the moment. And right now, she had to make another house call.

Once again, she hoped she would make it out alive.

* * *

"Drat, drat, and double drat." She heard Caster shouting as he paced through the trees, occasionally throwing a small spell that moved in random directions before hitting the ground. "While I never believed that such low level monsters could've killed them, they went through them far too fast. You're supposed to savour the kill, enjoy the music. Not go 'smash, smash, smash'. Although I do like a bit of rock n' smash."

"We still learned more about their skills, Kefka." Assassin said as he stood next to him. "Now if only you had the Great Clock, we could try again. And then those Squishies will taste the fury of THE MACHINE!" For an Assassin, he was far too loud and dramatic. He acted like an actor in a play, making sure everyone heard him clearly. She was surprised the other Servants hadn't already found them.

"The Great Clock? Is it a box that knocks?"

"Hardly. It is a massive structure found IN THE EXACT CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE! Give or take 50 feet. It was designed to allow the control of time itself."

"Ooh." Caster squealed. "I love time travel. I always wanted it so I could go to murder people all over again, or have that steak you had for lunch."

"I know. It's so soothing to hear your enemies screaming over and over again. But alas, I don't have it with me."

"Balderdash. And I don't have enough prana to go around for both of us." There was her cue. Now she just had to get their attention without ending up dead.

"I believe _I_ can help with that." She said, moving quickly to another bunch of trees. A good thing too, since caster and Assassin started blasting the tree she had been hiding behind. "Now, now. That's hardly any way to treat a potential ally."

"Oh, but I always treat potential allies well." Caster replied, looking around for her. "I just find that torture can make them talk just as easily. And sing, and play the ukulele." He blasted another tree, his lightning circling it a few times before hitting. She watched as Assassin faded away, not even making a sound.

"Yes, my allies believed the same thing. But while torturing someone is fun, they are far more likely to tell you whatever you want to hear just to end the pain." She reached out through the Force, searching for Assassin. Caster was a confusing blend of powers, giving her a slight headache. "Ask yourself this. Who would tell you more accurate information? The man who you have to rip into pieces to get a word out of? Or a woman who walks into your waiting arms and tells you without a prompt?" There. Right behind her, moving through the air. She quickly dodged aside, watching as the tree fell apart from his strike. Then she used the force to scramble his circuits, causing him to flop away in a heap. "Now then, do you want to hear what I have to say? Because as you said yourself, you can hardly afford to waste your prana on me. Not when there is far more interesting prey to be had."

"2 plus 2 is four. 2 plus 2 is four. 2 plus 2 is four." Assassin kept playing the same thing over and over again until Caster gave him a kick. Then he started playing some music of a kind. It instantly made her think of the time she had worked in a Hutt mansion, forced to sit on a Hutt's lap for hours on end.

"I'm listening." Caster said as he kicked Assassin a few more times. "But only until you become boring. Or I'm hungry. It's Kumquat night. I do so love Kumquats. If only I knew what they were. They just sound so funny." With a final kick, Assassin started dancing before shaking himself online. At least, she assumed he was online again since he glared at her. "Now talk. My friend is not happy with that trick you played on him. Speak, speak."

"I am fully aware that a Servant can acquire incredible amounts of prana from harvesting the humans. And given your… 'Charming personality', you could probably acquire even more than I have. Tell me, do you like children?"

"…I'm listening." Caster replied. This was a good start. But she still had to be careful. She remembered several Sith that would change emotions faster than she could get her loincloth off. And Caster seemed far more insane than they were.

"There is an Orphanage here in the city, holding all the surviving children from the Fuyuki Fires years ago, the one caused by Servants. If you've heard about the size of the blaze, you could imagine the number of orphans inside. And it is only moderately guarded."

"Ooh, I like orphans. They make nice play things, don't they Assassin?"

"Right. They're especially good as TARGET PRACTISE!" Assassin agreed. "But what kind of guards do they have?"

"A remnant of the previous War, Avenger. While she has no high stats like the other classes, she has proven to be very adaptable, filling almost all classes if she has to. She's also a close friend of the previous Saber, who is the guardian of Saber's Master. And I just learnt that Rider made an alliance with Saber and Archer to stop your fun."

"Curses. Curses and din dins. They're always after my fun. 'Caster, stop drawing on the walls in blood. Caster, no one wants to see you juggle 10 body parts. Caster, stop killing our beloved king'. Pah."

"That seems a lot harder than one lone Servant standing right here." Assassin noted, flexing his claws.

"True, but I have ways of weakening them. Rider's Master hates the fact he's losing control of his Servant, and that she does whatever she wants without consulting him first. He's agreed to use his Command Seals to force her to fight Saber and Archer. And the Other Saber is on the far side of town. I'm sure that your pets could slow him down enough to take the orphanage."

"Perhaps, but we'll have to be unusually quick." Caster replied, causing her to become more wary of him. While there is no denying he's completely insane, he still possesses a tactical mind. Underestimating this fool would be her downfall. "So Rider, Saber, Archer and Other Saber would all be occupied having a tea party for tonight. But what about Avenger?"

"Despite her skill, she is still one woman. She can't fight you both at once. And my Master assures me that if you do this for him, you will have an alternative base in the event that you need to run." Both Servants nodded, accepting that having to make a tactical retreat may be necessary.

They took it. Now they just had to watch and wait.

* * *

**(8:30pm, Fuyuki Streets)**

The Master of Berserker wasn't hard to find. All she had to do was follow the massive well of Force energy. It wasn't quite the most perfect translation, but it worked well enough for her. Thanks to this Force Sense, her Master had her keep an eye on the location of all Servants and Masters. But while the girl was strong in the Force, as her Overseers would say, it was Berserker that worried her the most. She was overflowing with Dark Force Energy, leaving behind puddles of it wherever she stepped. Through Force Vision she retained her demonic form. But deep at the heart of the Servant was a small beacon of light. The only likely explanation is that this isn't Berserker's original body. To be a pure person and trapped inside your own body with that _thing_… She swore to herself that she would free her by any means necessary. She did the same for Khem Val when he was possessed by Lord Zash, and she would do the same for this little one. Berserker looked up at her location, most likely sensing her dark prana. The young woman smirked, tapping her Master on the shoulder. The child showed herself to be quick to take action, failing to heed the words of others.

"Wait. I am not your enemy." Lancer said as she stepped out of the shadows. She had her lightsaber in hand, but inactivated. "A little bird told me about how you were humiliated by another Berserker." Berserker growled as she heard that. She was almost straining to attack her. Illyasviel glared at Lancer.

"Funny how news carries around, Lancer. After all, a little birdy told me about how you've been collecting prana by murdering people. But why should I believe you?"

"The fact that he threw around your Servant means that he is a dangerous threat to my continued collection. And I'd imagine you'd be interested in finding the monster that killed your mother." Inwardly, Lancer was cringing. Her Master was a suicidal moron. It was all well and good betraying people to gain powerful allies, but from what she could tell Mercer was as strong as any Servant already active. And whatever he was gave her chills when she sensed him through the Force. If he came looking for her master, she was going to try and get out before he showed up.

"What are you talking about? How do you know about that?" Illyasviel pointed a finger at her accusingly. "Talk before I have Berserker make you."

"I don't know all the details myself, but from what my Master told me Berserker kidnapped your mother and killed her to try and acquire the Holy Grail before it was time. And I imagine he may try again now that he knows that an Einzbern is in the city again."

"…Where is he?" The die was cast. This girl's life hung in the balance. It was at times like this that she wondered how things would've gone if she still had her original Master. Instead, she was going to have to live with this.

"I heard that he was currently working from his clinic across the river."

* * *

**(Normandy SR-2, Outer Space)**

Shepard frowned as she looked over the Planetary Map in the Normandy's CIC, trying to come up with a way to remove the civilians from the Temple without Caster noticing. She had no doubt that the madman would kill them all just to spite them, and then use their prana to fuel his spells. But despite previous tactical experience against the Reapers, she still didn't know what to do. It didn't help that she wasn't fully aware of all of Saber and Archer's skills. Understandable, but frustrating. If she had Saber cloak and sneak people away, Caster's spells might still detect them. If she had Archer acting as a distraction, she might end up blowing up the civilians. And while she could see that Saber had some kind of biotics or psionics, she didn't know which one it was.

"Commander, I think you need to have a little break." Kelly Chambers said to her. Shepard smiled as she nodded to the therapist, agreeing with her. It had been a surprise to find out that the Normandy Noble Phantasm was a mixture of both versions of the Normandy SR-2. While it meant that the ship was more crowded than before, it also allowed her to get the opinion of anyone that worked for her. It had been great to see old faces and friends again. And she noted that the Normandy carried both the Alliance and Cerberus insignia, showing that working with the pro-human terrorist group was still on peoples' minds. Good. She didn't want people to forget everything she had to do to save the Galaxy, the criminals and crimes she was forced to commit. The destruction of the Bahak System still weighed heavily on her mind. She knew it had to be done, she knew there was no time to stop it, and she knew she would do it again if it meant stopping the Reapers. But that didn't mean she had to like it.

"Understood Yeoman Chambers. Keep an ear out on the crew. If they come up with an idea for stopping Caster, let me know." Shepard replied as she head for the elevator to 'The Loft'. Her own personal quarters on board the Normandy, giving her all the creature comforts she could ask for. She got some food out for her space hamster, set the music player going, requisitioned some alcohol from Kasumi, and relaxed. "EDI. Call up Garrus for me, would you?" She said out loud. The ship's AI would hear her anywhere in the room.

"Acknowledged Commander." EDI replied, creating her hologram of a pawn chess piece. "I have also been going over the information you acquired about the Holy Grail. Based on the required energy levels in order to summon us into another time and galaxy, I have come to the conclusion that the Grail, or more likely the Throne of Heroes, resides outside all time and space."

"Like how the Reapers lived in dark space, outside every other galaxy within range." Shepard responded. It made sense in a way. No need to worry about the heroes all walking out if they wanted to, or a hero living separate from all the others. The Throne could collect any hero it wanted to fight in this war. "Have you figured out how it was made?"

"Based on my analysis, the Throne was not made by humans or any known alien force. Rather, I believe it to be created by what organics would call 'belief'. According to a very obscure info I received, the true purpose of the Throne is to summon the heroes to fight any alien threat to Gaia and Humanity."

"Would've been nice if they dropped in to help us against the Reapers." The door chimed as Garrus stepped into the room. "That'll be all for now EDI."

"Understood. Logging you out Shepard." The hologram vanished, allowing Shepard to see her boyfriend again. He still looked the same as ever. A Turian Agent with their biologically formed metallic carapace, his head spines curved back in a very rakish-yet-young way. His twin mandibles made it difficult for them to kiss, but they had ways to still show their affection. One way was to rest their foreheads against each other, the way they were doing now. The last time she had seen him, he had been injured following Harbinger's attempt to stop them from reaching the catalyst. She felt a stab of guilt as she realised she broke her promise to return to him. But then, part of them both knew she wasn't going to come back from this.

You're angry with me, aren't you?" She asked him, looking into his eyes. They were a stone grey, capable of looking as cold as ice. But right now, they looked as though he was about to start tearing up.

"I should be." He whispered back. "It's been so hard without you. I should be livid that you'd die on me. I should be selfish that you gave your life to save us all from the Reaper. But now that I've found you again, I can't do anything. I just want to stay with you forever." They pulled in close, Shepard letting Garrus cry on her shoulder as they embraced for the first time since forever. They stayed like this for several minutes before they both sat down on the couch. Garrus coughed, having let loose all his emotions. "So anyway, I'm guessing you're wondering what happened after you sacrificed yourself like a martyr."

"Only about as much as you're probably wondering what happened after you let a little thing like anti-dreadnought cannons knock you silly." She snarked back. It felt good to fight alongside him again.

"Good point. Why don't you start?"

She sighed, remembering that whole ordeal. "I found Captain Anderson held by The Illusive Man, who had pretty much been turned into a Reaper thrall. I gunned him down after trying to talk him out, but not before he gunned down the Captain. Then as he laid dying, Admiral Hackett contacted me when the Crucible didn't fire, and I went looking for some kind of big red button."

"Yeah, I don't think they'd have one. They don't do much maniacal laughter to justify it."

"Smart ass. I managed to reach the connector of the Crucible, where I ran into the Catalyst. It was pretty much what the Leviathans told us. An AI that tried to stop Organic/Synthetic war by turning any species capable of it into Reapers. It believed that we could never work together. The fact that I got the Geth and the Quarian to stop fighting confused it. And then I found there were three ways to stop the Reapers. I could destroy a broadcaster system, unleashing a pulse that would kill anything based on Reaper technology, including the Geth and maybe my implants. I could merge my mind with the Catalyst, becoming the controlling personality of the Reapers. Or I could throw myself into the Crucible, allowing the energy to analyse the fusion of my flesh and implants, and alter everyone to be a mixture between the two and removing the Reapers' mission. I believed that the last choice was the best one."

"Well for what it's worth, I think it was too. The Reapers were pretty helpful after they stopped trying to kill us. Like the Geth, only bigger and scarier. With their help, we managed to build our own Citadel and Mass Relays, allowing us to spread out even further. They and the Geth helped us create new ways to colonise inhospitable worlds now that we weren't so vulnerable. Oh, and they helped to keep the Leviathans in check. They managed to grab a few planets each to do their bidding, but the Reapers make sure that they don't try to grab more worlds. And thanks to Wrex and Bakara, Tuchunka's finally gotten rid of all the rubble. You should see what their cities look like now. I swear there are mountains now smaller than Urdnot."

"Trust Wrex to name his capital after his own clan."

"Yeah. He's got a lovely brood going on too. You should see his little girl Mordin. She's nearly as smart as Solus was."

"I think you mean _is_. If everyone else is here then so is he."

"Don't I know it. I passed him trying to get some DNA samples from Miranda on the way here. He's kinda annoyed he wasn't around for Synthesis. Oh, and Wrex has got this massive statue of you, standing on Kalros' head. The real thing, mind you. It took a lot of effort, but they did it."

"I'm glad. The Krogan deserve a new beginning. What about the Quarians and the Geth?"

"Well thanks to the Geth uploading themselves into their suits and mimicking viruses, they were able to build up their immune systems enough to live outside their suits in just 15 years. Tali was… excited, to put it mildly."

"I can imagine." She remembered how happy Tali had been when they reclaimed their homeworld. It had been her dream to build a home on Rannoch. And now she could have that and more.

"Everyone else managed to rebuild after the War, and the Batarians are now welcome back into the Citadel. And they've become a Democracy and are working alongside Humans to colonise the Terminus System. Oh, and Joker's a dad now. All that synthesis stuff made EDI capable of having a kid."

"Good for him. What about you?" She still found it slightly weird for Joker to love a metal body, but to each his own.

"Me?" Garrus looked very jumpy. "Well, I've uh… I've, you know, been busy helping to put Palaven back together again. Found my family. And my sister still wasn't happy about my scar and the fact I kept it hidden from her while I was helping to stop the Collectors. Oh, and my mum's healed now. Synthesis really helped her out on that whole 'nearly dying' front." Shepard kept looking at him, knowing he was keeping something from her. He sighed in defeat. "Ok, ok. There was something else. After you were pretty much confirmed deceased, Me and Tali… fooled around a bit. We both knew she could never replace you, so it was mostly for fun. I've been sort of in and out of the dating game. Mostly just one night stands and stuff. After you… I wasn't sure I could ever find someone to take your place." He looked so forlorn, she hugged him close to her.

"I just hope you were happy." She truly meant it. She gave up her chance for the good of everyone. He shouldn't have pined for a lost woman.

"I don't know about being truly happy. But It felt good, watching all your hard work get acknowledged instead of swept under a rug this time. To see our friends grow and do amazing things." They stayed like that, content and well.

"By the Book of False Attainment…" They were interrupted as Shinji's voice echoed around the ship, startling them. "By the seal gifted to create such a thing…"

"What the hell that's idiot up to this time?" Garrus wondered as Shepard headed back down to the CIC. As she heard more, she got more and more worried.

"By the blood marking these pages and the Power of my first Command Seal…"

_Oh you son of a bitch!_ Shepard thought. A Command Seal. He was going to use a fucking Command Seal on her. It meant that no matter what she wanted, she'd have to obey his command. After this she was going to bury him and work with her _real_ Master instead. She was tired of this crap.

"I command you Rider. Kill Saber and Archer." Everyone stood still as the Command took effect, controlling them and forcing them all to obey. She tried to fight against it. "By the power of my second Command Seal I command you Rider. Kill Saber and Archer." That was it then. It was rare but possible to resist a single Command Seal if it went against a Servant too much. But none have ever resisted a second command.

"Prep the Kodiak." She growled as she materialised her armour. "And find me an ambush point."

Damn that boy to hell.

* * *

**(8:40pm, Fuyuki Church)**

Lancer returned to the church, all her objectives completed. Now her Master was most likely going to sit back and enjoy the chaos that formed from this. The fool was a perfect example of why the Sith Empire was failing. The newer generation of Sith seemed to believe that being a Dark Jedi or anyone of importance required you to commit evil acts even when there was nothing to be gained from it. They forgot that the Dark Side was only called that because it went against the Jedi Code, putting your own needs and wants first. While that could be interpreted as crushing others beneath an iron boot, she saw it as using the force to help those she cared about instead of limiting herself with rules and restrictions. The Jedi even seem to believe that love was against their Code. It was no wonder their members kept rebelling and falling to the Dark Side when they regard normal feelings of kinship to be wrong. Maybe in time they will finally learn the error of their ways.

"Very good lancer." Kirei Kotomine congratulated her. "This will be an enjoyable fight. And I heard over the police scanner that you collected more prana on the way back."

"I've had many situations where I've had several goals to complete while in the fight." Lancer replied courteously. As long as he had all the Command Seals, she would have to toe the line around him. "But I still wonder about angering Mercer like that. When he tracks us down…"

"He won't. Besides, no matter how much he denies it he is still a Servant. Fighting is in his blood. He will create chaos and destruction. It will be glorious." It took everything she had not to sigh in frustration. Part of her was very sure that he _wanted_ to die. While she'd normally help him on his way, she wasn't going to give up the Grail just like that. "For now, meditate and keep an eye on the Servants. I want to be notified when they begin their fights."

Tonight, this city will burn.

* * *

**(9:00pm, Dr Ragland's Clinic)**

"Well, it looks like you've had several things that the law says you shouldn't have." Alex said, looking at the report on his patient. It was actually just a random piece of paper. Even though he could diagnose anyone just by sampling some DNA it made them feel better if he had some notes in his hands. "And your cholesterol is through the roof. How did you end up like that anyway Mr Tomorana?"

The old, fat, balding man looked around shiftily for a moment. Alex sighed in exasperation. "I'm not going to report you sir. Client confidentiality and all that. Besides, you're not the worst patient I've had on this table. Now, I'll ask again. How did you end up taking a bunch of heroin for 4 days straight?"

"…The new Halo game came out." Mr Tomorana admitted, looking embarrassed. Right that was that game based on Rider's history. "It was really good, and the multiplayer was awesome. I just had to keep getting a higher rank that everyone else. But now I feel like I'm going to die."

"That's pretty much normal when you've been forcing yourself to stay awake for that whole time. Oh, and what you felt is probably the low of the drug." He grabbed a small container, dropped a bit of his biomass in the shape of pills, and handed it over to him. "Here. Take this once a day until it's all gone. It'll purge your body of all traces of the drug, so you might want to be close to a toilet when you take them. It won't be pretty otherwise. And for the love of God man, next time just take some coffee."

"Will this help with my cholesterol too?"

"Yes, and as long as you take some time to exercise or eat healthy food, you'll be able to keep it off too." The phone started ringing, startling Mr Tomorana and causing him to drop his pills. Alex caught it smoothly in one hand while grabbing the phone too. "Hello, Dr Ragland's clinic. How may I help you tonight?"

"Ah, hello Dr Ragland." Rin Tohsaka said timidly over the line. "I was just wondering how you were doing with all the attacks going on around town. Are you getting home alright?" Right. To everyone other than Saber, Dr Mercer was a middle-aged, balding gentleman with thick glasses. A useful thing for when people may be gunning for your head. Until he ran into the Servants he hadn't really needed it. A 'mysterious hooded man' always showed up in time to save him from people annoyed over the customers he had.

"I'm doing well Ms Tohsaka." He replied warmly. "I think my guardian angel is keeping me safe at night. But how are you doing? A beautiful young lady like yourself may appear to be a more likely target than some doddering old fool like me." He heard her voice catch on the other end. She must still be embarrassed over how he 'heard' about Dr Parker giving her a physical. Kirei Kotomine ordered it so he could learn if Mercer could cause some kind of pheromone problem for her, but he just pretended he couldn't. it was well within his power and skill, but he wasn't going to use his powers to make some kid get chased by horny boys. She had enough problems as it was, including how he was planning on turning her into an Evolved. She had potential.

"I-I'm fine. I walk home with some friends. Oh, and I wanted to just check something with you. It probably sounds a bit shady, and it kind of is."

"Rin, most of my patients could be regarded as shady by fine people like yourself. My lips are sealed.

"Right. A friend of mine might get injured at some point. He constantly runs off to take part in underground fighting rings. Part of me is worried he might need a doctor. You're available at all hours, right?"

"Pretty much. I assume you remember where my house is? Just take care yourself Rin. I don't want this friend of yours showing up with you in his arms."

"I will. Take care that is." She was almost about to go, when he thought he might just check her reaction about something…close.

"One more thing Rin. According to your family's file you had a sister? And hypothetically according to a confidential patient's folder, her name was Sakura? Do you still see her?"

"…Yes. But we don't talk at all. It hurt a bit, losing her like that. But our family has strange ways that aren't for outsiders."

"Of course. I'm sorry for dragging it out like that. Rest assured, I won't say a word to anyone." Mr Tomorana had already walked out with the pills, leaving a healthy pile of Yen on the counter. Mercer was already counting it out when he heard some knocking on the front door. Activating the CCTV, he saw with annoyance that the Einzbern girl was standing outside with Berserker at hand, clad in the form of a scarred young woman. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but it seems that I have another patient waiting for me. Take care Ms Tohsaka, and have a good night sleep." He hung up on her, the phone cracking in his grip. His last fight with Saber came back to him, starting off very similar to this. Goddammit, if that idiot sold him out _yet_ _again_, he was going to wear his skin as a coat. But of course, Berserker could've sensed him through some kind of Servant sense. It could happen. There were certainly enough weird Servants to go around. Well, if he was going into a fight, he might as well make it fun. As he walked to the door, he changed his shape to be taller, more slender, and paler than before. By the time he stepped outside, he was Irisviel Von Einzbern again, bereft of any manner of clothing.

"Well hello sweetie." He cooed at her, enjoying seeing her face burn in anger. "Sorry, but I'm afraid you're far too young for my clientele. We prefer our women to have a bit more… weight to their hips. And their chest. And looking like paedophiles is bad for business." He shook his hips in Berserker's direction, blowing her a kiss. "But if your nanny wants some fun, I could always find you a beddy-time story to read."

Illyasviel fumed and boiled in sheer rage before something seemed to snap. "You seem awfully calm considering my Berserker is about to rip your heart out and eat it whole."

"Well after our last little slap fight, I already figured that you weren't going to leave without one of us dying. Might as well give you a final 'fuck you' before we get started." He turned around and slapped his ass a few times, Illya wincing with every snap. "And you seem to believe I'll go down easily. I assure you, I got to the Throne of Heroes on a path of blood and gore. I battened down the gates to take my rightful place. I am the ultimate killing machine in my world. You're just a sad little girl trying to play dress up. Of course, I know all about the Einzbern homunculi. I wonder what hurts most. The fact that you're destined to die by the end of this, no matter what? Or the fact that you're 18 years old and you look like you're still in pre-school?"

That did it. Whatever restraint she had burst under all the insults he had been piling on. It was a case of 'the straw that broke the camel's back'. "Berserker, kill him!" She screamed, nearly frothing at the mouth. Berserker pushed her back, smirking at him. From the shadows stepped out dozens of foul, evil demons. They ranged from tiny little imps, barely bigger than Illya, to massive battering demons the size of his small abode. Alex smiled back, before deciding to insult Illya one more time. He stood so that his stomach was bared to her, and let his creations breed inside of him. His womb grew in size before he gave birth to his Infected, now straddling his hunters. As they moved aside to let more hunters and Walkers crawl out of him, he saw the girl looking in a mixture of fury and nausea. Good, this was going to be enjoyable.

The fools didn't even know what hit them.

* * *

**(Fuyuki Orphanage for Lost Boys and Girls)**

"And so, the cowardly King Wencen ran from his mission, no longer the brave and noble hero he pretended to be. He could no longer rely on Fate to help him best the Maid of Windemere, and his true skill was revealed. Alone, Sir Sagrell continued on, slaying any foul evil that stood in her way. She challenged the Maid, even knowing she possessed great power and dark magic." Avenger stopped to let the children gasp at the threat against Sir Sagrell, before continuing. "The fight was brutal and long. For the Maid was not content to fight alone, as Sir Sagrell had done. She brought forth more of her children, from the lowly boggarts to the great trolls of old. She pushed Sir Sagrell closer to the vines at the walls, which lashed out to snare her. But Sir Sagrell was tricky and clever. Many a time, he used the mighty blows of the trolls to hurt the Maid, and had the Maid's dark magic strike the trolls true. It had been a gruelling fight, but eventually she stood triumphant over the Maid of Windemere. But as she went to finish the wicked temptress off, the Maid begged for mercy. She too had been following the tales told about her. She too was not who she seemed to be. Whereas King Wencen was truly a coward and a fool, the Maid was kind and gentle, tired of playing the role of the villain. She only wanted a chance to prove herself, to escape the lies about her. And seeing her true heart for the first time, Sir Sagrell granted her mercy. She and her children remained inside Windemere, content and protected."

"And she comes out of the castle to meet her beloved princess." Little Susie shouted, causing the other children to laugh.

"Yes, Suzie. She did. But one day, Sir Sagrell had to leave to fight a war. One woman against an army empowered by a dark god. And the Maid slept peacefully, knowing that her beloved friend would return victorious, carting the head of the god behind her. And according to some, she still waits to this day." She closed the book she had written, filled with stories of her past and quests she completed. "Alright, time for bed little ones. You've got school tomorrow." All the children groaned, but they knew she wouldn't be persuaded. They all started marching off to the bathroom, brushing their teeth and heading off to bed. As she watched them go, her ears heard a strange noise. It sounded a bit like the snuffling of a troll or a Bolgan. She looked out the window, trying to catch a glimpse of anything. And what she saw shocked her.

An army of robots were approaching the Orphanage, with yellow glowing eyes and brain cases on their heads. Some had saws for hands, while others had guns or flails. There were even a couple of UFOs hovering overhead. And on the front-most one was a skeletal robot with glowing panels.

"Yuuki, get the bunker ready." Avenger shouted at the secretary, startling her. She rushed back into the dormitories. "Kids! Emergency plan, on the double. Bobby, Susie, Satsuki, Ichigo! Grab the little ones. Everyone, get moving!" The room was filled with the sound of stampeding feet as everyone started running towards the basement. It was a place she had found not long after planning on the orphanage. It was a well-built room hidden under the building, strong enough to handle most things. Anything that could destroy it was not going to leave many survivors anyway. As Yuuki helped the kids rush to the basement, Avenger started dialling Arthas. If she needed back-up, she wanted her old friend and the new Servants.

"Emiya Residence." He answered. Oh, thank the Fate. He was still there. She didn't waste time explaining what was happening.

"Arthas. The orphanage is under attack by alien robots. I think it's a Servant."

"Dammit. It's most likely Assassin. I'll get there as fast as possible. Be careful around him. We don't know what he's capable of. And I doubt an army is a usual Assassin skill."

"Right. What about Saber and Archer? Could they help?"

"They're out with Rider looking for Caster. I'll try to get in contact with them, but I wouldn't hold out for them. If something goes wrong, it'll happen when you least want it."

"I understand. Come quickly." She hung up on him, barely even checking if the phone hit the cradle. Yuuki was looking at her in fear.

"Miss Seelie, please hurry. We need to lock the door."

"I know. Keep them safe Yuuki. If those bastards want to threaten my kids, they're going to have to get through me." She materialised her old armour, not even acknowledging Yuuki's stare **"Master of All: Blademaster."** Her armour changed so that she was now covered in orange spiked armour, with a gnarled wooden bow in hand. She opened the door, standing between the children and the robot army. As Assassin spotted her, he started laughing maniacally.

"Behold, Avenger!" He said. "Behold the death of all Squishies! With your Orphans, we will rule this planet and cleanse it of all filth!"

"You lot take one more step, and I'll end you painfully." The robots looked at each other, as though they were considering it.

"Minions! Attack!" With his shout, they started moving closer, attacking with their advanced weaponry. But Avenger had experience fighting long range. She fired off arrow after arrow, slaying them with one strike. She pointed her bow into the air, unleashing a rain of arrows upon them and bringing down scores of them. A second blast took down one of the UFOs, forcing Assassin to land. Tired of her attacks, he vanished into the night. But she had experience with assassins too. She jumped back into the building, throwing tiny explosives at the ground. They started exploding as Assassin rematerialized before her. She quickly attempted to put an arrow into his chest, but his barrier was too strong. He glowed blue for a moment, before he somehow launched himself at her without moving. She quickly got her sword in the way, slicing it in two. But then he kept launching them, allowing his army to start attacking the building. This couldn't go on. She needed an edge.

"**Master of All: Champion."** She glowed with purple energy, her armour becoming more heavily armed as a staff appeared in her other hand. She waved it at the robots, causing fire to rain down upon them and ice to shatter them. Lightning arced between them, causing several to explode. But Assassin still had tricks up his sleeve. He was throwing purple balls of energy, forcing her to move and weather the shockwaves. She quickly used a healing spell to staunch her wounds, battening him with her blade. His claws enabled him to catch it several times, chipping away at his armour. She used her Elemental Rage spell to blow the robots away, freezing them, melting them, and electrocuting them in the process. Assassin cackled evilly before flying into the air, his cape spines holding him steady. He surrounded himself in a shield, deflecting everything she used as he rained a rainbow laser down at her. But she tapped into her own spell to weather the effect. She just had to hold out a bit longer. But to her surprise, Assassin started flying away from the Orphanage. But why? Was it because he realised it was too difficult? Maybe he somehow knew she had called for help. But then, he had been laughing instead of cursing like she'd expect. She turned to see Arthas running in full plate, looking worried. She was still pondering why he ran. As far as she could tell he got nothing out of this. Maybe he was as crazy as Caster was, to do all this for nothing.

Caster. Her blood ran cold as she realised why he ran. She cursed, running inside the orphanage in terror. Arthas called out to her, but she didn't heed him. This was never meant to be a frontal attack. Assassins are ill-suited for such attacks, even with an army. This was a diversion, meant to keep her busy.

"Yuuki!" She shouted as she tried the door, finding it locked. Her blade chopped through it enough to kick it open. "Yuuki!" As she made it over the threshold, she stopped in horror.

Gone. All gone. There was nothing more than a hole in the roof, melted and frozen. She stepped closer in shock, only stopping when she stood on something warm. She looked down to find a long arm, pale and gaunt. It still had Yuuki's good luck charm on it. It was enough. As Arthas came rushing to her side, she broke down in tears. She promised to protect them. She promised to protect them all. And now they were gone. Arthas didn't say anything. He just sat next to her, holding her close.

He too knew the pain of loss.

**Ouch. That really tugs on my heart strings. As if Caster doesn't have enough reasons to hate him, now he kidnaps children. He's going to be in for the fight of his life. But he's not going to go down easily. And hey, I've started up another fight between Rider, Saber and Archer. This one's going to be bigger than before, since they're not going to be interrupted again. Oh, and if you're a big Wrex fan, then you'll like this fight.**

**Now, some of you might get a bit squicked out by Alex giving birth. That's perfectly natural. He just wanted to abuse Irisviel's body a bit more for kicks, cause he's a bit of a prick. If he can get a way to get under peoples' skin, he will use it. And yeah, he's Rin's doctor. And Sakura's too. That's a way to keep an eye on everyone for him now that the War's starting up again. And because he isn't a Servant anymore, even Arthas can't tell he's meeting Alex unless he uses his powers.**

**Next chapter, we'll also find out Lancer's past before she became a Heroic Spirit. You guys are probably having a hard time figuring out what specific game she's from, so I'll just tell you. She's from The Old Republic MMO, and my player character.**

**Finally, since we've seen him in action, I'll give you guys Assassin's stat sheet.**

**Enjoy.**

Assassin

Name: Dr Nefarious

Series: Ratchet and Clank

Master: Caster

Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Parameters

Strength: C

Endurance: B

Agility: A

Magical Power: N/A

Good Luck: B

Noble Phantasm: EX

Class Skills:

Item Construction (A)

**Item Construction** is the skill to manufacture magical items. At this rank Assassin is capable of creating amazing weapons of destruction, usually with overly-long names.

Presence Concealment (A+)

**Presence Concealment** is the capacity to hide one's presence as a Servant. It is a common skill to the Assassin class. At this rank it is possible to disappear completely and become almost impossible to be detected. However, efficiency will decrease once preparations to attack are taken.

Personal Skills:

Battle Continuation (A)

**Battle Continuation** is the strength of vitality for predicaments. Also, the ability to withdraw from combat and reach allied territory alive after being defeated. This rank makes possible to fight even with deadly injuries and can remain alive so long as one does not receive a decisive fatal wound.

Knowledge of Respect and Harmony (B)

**Knowledge of Respect and Harmony** prevents any decrease in the effectiveness of a technique, regardless of how many times it is used against the same opponent. No matter how many times Assassin uses his attacks, they cannot be analyzed by the enemy.

Mental Pollution (A-)

**Mental Pollution** makes it highly possible to shut out any mental interference Thaumaturgy, due to possessing a distorted mentality. However, at the same time it becomes impossible to come to an understanding with individuals that do not possess an equivalent rank of mental pollution. At this rank, Assassin has trouble emphasizing with other non-evil people, but he knows how they work. Only someone as evil as him can possibly understand his motives.

Natural Body (C)

**Natural Body** is the possession of a perfect body as a living being from birth. The owner of this Skill is treated as if his **STR** is always _Rank-Up_.

Noble Phantasms

**Death to the Squishies** (Anti-Unit) (Self)

Assassin gains a bonus against organic enemies.

**Evil Stabs You in the Back** (Anti-Unit)

Assassin can use Presence Concealment at any time, laughing a deadly sneak attack on an enemy. They must pass an Endurance test to survive. Anything under B rank is instantly killed.

**Shouting** (Anti-Unit – Anti-Group)

Assassin shouts out the name of whatever forces he requires at the moment.

**Minions (Anti-Unit)**

Summons his army of minions to fight for him. Each minion has very low stats, but they are massive in size.

**Tyhrranoids (Anti-Unit)**

Assassin's previous minions. They used to be organic but were turned into machines by his Biobliterator. Same stats as the Minions

**Valkyries (Anti-Group)**

Assassin summons the Valkyries and their leaders Cassiopeia, Carina, and Libra. Stats around C rank.

**Vorselon (Anti-Group)**

Assassin's field enforcer, with a dramatic personality. Has B-A rank stats

**Lawrence (Anti-Group)**

Assassin's loyal right-hand butler, Lawrence has A rank stats and fights with music.

**VX-99 (Anti-Army)**

A massive floating construct that can destroy entire cities. Has A-EX rank stats.

**Lance and Janice **(Anti-Unit) (Self)

An unfortunate flaw causes Assassin to stop moving and play episodes of Lance and Janice when he is too stressed out. Will snap out of it when attacked.


	6. Who'll Have Mercy on Your Soul?

Chapter 6: Who'll Have Mercy on Your Soul?

**(8:45pm, Fuyuki Church)**

Finding Berserker, Illya and Mercer through the Force wasn't hard. Berserker and Illya were filled to the brim with prana, while Mercer's… unique nature made him a twisted void in the Force. Rider was also easy to spot, engaging Saber and Archer inside a Reality Marble. She sort of wished she knew who it belonged to. This would be great for reconnaissance. And Caster and Assassin had returned from attacking the Orphanage. Avenger may have been strong, but she was only one Servant against two. It was only logical that she'd fail, one way or another. So all Lancer had to do now was meditate and find something to contemplate. Today, she decided to go over all the events that led her to taking part in this War.

She was born into a small Twi'lek slave family in the services of a minor Sith Nobleman called Lord Joff. Her possible father may have been a gardener, while her mother was the personal concubine of Lord Joff. She also had an older sister, Nesgoma, who was forced to be Mother's paedophiliac incestuous lesbian lover (or her Pill, as Lord Joff liked to joke). Sadly for Lord Joff, his machinations ended up growing too big for his power, and he was killed by his apprentice Lord Bresh after his plans all collapsed around him. The young woman had no need for all his concubines, and had them all shipped off to a slave auction where they were scattered across the galaxy. Luckily for Hannen, her family were all purchased by a buyer working for Okeer the Hutt, a rising crime lord on Nal Hutta. Mother again became a concubine of the Hutt, while Nes became a serving girl in the tavern. As for Hannen, she started off hunting pests due to her small size, moving onto being an errand girl after she became too old to fit in the walls. When she was 10, she woke up from a horrible nightmare about her mother being devoured by a rancor kept under the throne room. It wasn't until morning that she found out that really did happen.

When she turned 13, and her body finally started to blossom, she was trained in the ways of seduction and sex by other slave girls. Only a year after she started, she had another nightmare. In this one, Nes was being gang-raped by the Gamorrean guards until she died from exhaustion. The guards kept raping her corpse until they realised she was dead, and then threw her into the Rancor pit to be eaten. Hannen didn't know it at the time, but her nightmares were clearly her Force capabilities growing in strength. She panicked for ages until she found her sister, still serving drinks to patrons in the tavern. Hannen pulled her aside and told her about her nightmare, as well as the one she had before Mother died. Fearing for their lives, Nes decided it was time to make a break for it.

Using her skills in seduction, Nes managed to sneak or fuck her way onto an empty ship belonging to a space pirate, before hot-wiring the droid inside to help her. Hannen had been waiting at the rendezvous point when she spotted her getting chased by a large squadron of fighter ships. Unable to stop, Nes was forced to leave without Hannen. They both knew it was the only option at the time.

Still, as the years went by, a darker side wished she had _tried_ to stop.

By the time she was 16, she was regarded as the most beautiful of the slave girls. Her waist was curved, yet slender; and her limbs were long and slim. Her hips were just wide enough to accommodate for her soft ass, and her breasts were as big as her body would allow. Her face was regarded as sexy for how small it looked, and her lekku, her head-tails, were lovely and long. And her slave outfit was the same one she had when she was younger, now barely big enough to contain her. Okeer had promptly taken her for himself. Hannen learnt that the other girls were right: Taking care of a Hutt _was_ hard work. It wasn't uncommon to hear of a slave girl getting thrown away just because he grew bored of her. But Hannen was 'fortunate'. She was considered good enough to be chained to his chair like a pet most times and pleasuring him at all hours. She hated the giant slug with all her heart, imagining his neck snapping under her hands. One day, while he had been groping her with abandon, everyone heard a loud snapping sound as he fell over in a heap. His neck had been broken without anyone even touching him.

During the chaos of everyone fighting over Okeer's holdings, fortune, and empire, Hannen and other slave girls were captured by one of the lieutenants. But instead of taking them for himself, he just decided to sell them back to the Sith Empire. She ended up in the hands of another Sith Lord, by the name of Lord Hakaan. Ironically enough, he gained his power by assassinating Lord Bresh, and Hannen found herself back in her old home. Her father had been killed as a blood sacrifice, she had learnt. She worked as a serving girl, still filled with anger over her circumstances. She was tired of being a slave. She was tired of being someone's toy. And so when a noble at one of Hakaan's parties grabbed her ass, she instinctly slapped him. Normally all this would've done was angered the noble, and he would've beaten her for her actions. But she had power behind her. The noble instead slammed into a wall hard enough to crack the whole thing. Everyone looked on in shock as his corpse became stuck. Now that she was older, and living amongst the Sith, she knew what had happened.

She had tapped into the Force.

Hakann immediately tried to kill her, in hopes of removing her before she became a future rival. But she had tasted freedom. Everyone knew that anyone found with Force potential in the Sith Empire was taken to become a Dark Jedi. She was at the cusp of freedom, and no one was going to take that from her. With only an instinctual grasp of her powers, she managed to shock her owner until he was burnt to a crisp, along with all his guests. When the guards came rushing in, all it took was one look and a handful of Dark Force to send them running. And then she headed for Hakaan's personal bar. Whether she was going to become a Dark Jedi or get executed, she wanted to have some fine stuff at least once before she died. When the guards came back with a Sith Inquisitor, they found her half-drunk and sick from too much rich food.

Going to the Sith Academy was a very different experience for her. Instead of being crammed in with barely enough space to stand, she got her own seat. It also felt weird finally having more clothing than skin bared. But on the trip to Korriban, the home planet of the Sith and the site of the Sith Academy, she ended up making a new friend. He was a Sith Pureblood Noble by the name of Chagnoth. Despite the difference in their social standings, he was actually rather polite to her. When several fellow Sith Acolytes attempted to 'put her in her place', he showed up in time to help her mop up the stragglers. He said that he didn't care about what a person was before, only that they can aid the Empire and its interests. They ended up meeting in the same tombs, both sent on dangerous missions to remain a part of the Academy and to keep their lives. Since they both got along well – or at least they didn't want to kill each other – they agreed to work together when they could. With each other's help, they managed to survive long enough to become the sole survivors of their groups and take a shuttle off-world. But they had new allies, gifts for their hard work. She had Khem Val, a Deshade that belonged to Tulak Hord himself. While Chagnoth was given a former Twi'lek slave girl named Vette, who had found a secret passage into the tomb of Naga Sadow. Vette and Hannen got along well, recounting their youth as slaves, meant only to look pretty. Vette had stolen from her various masters for years before they realised what she was doing. After Chagnoth removed Vette's slave collar – and they got out of repairing the bar that was damaged by her attempt to 'persuade him' – they took a fast approach on board the Gage-class transport ship The Black Talon along with several other passengers.

Then, they ran into trouble…

"Lancer." Kotomine said to her as she came out of her meditation. And her memories. He smiled at her for a moment before he suddenly faded from view, a ghost in the air. As she puzzled over that, her door resonated with knocking. Kotomine stepped through and stood before her. "Lancer." He said again in the exact same tone, before smiling at her for a moment. Of course. She must've seen a vision of him, warning her that he was about to interrupt her. A useful skill to have when dealing with the rest of the Dark Council, and just as effective when your master is twisted and evil. "I'd imagine that Rider's attack is about to commence. I want you to see whether everyone is in place for the show." She concentrated on the signatures of the other Servants, aware of her master wheeling in a dark orb. She found Saber and Archer heading towards the museum, where Rider was waiting for them. While she wasn't averse to ambushes, she detested betraying an ally, especially on the orders of another. She opened her eyes and nodded, as Kotomine invoked the magic of the orb. It was connected to familiars, allowing him to watch the mayhem he causes with utmost abandon. She stood beside him, making sure to keep a hand on her weapon at all times.

And they watched as chaos reigned.

* * *

**(Fuyuki Museum, Jurassic Wing)**

"I don't like this." Saber said warily, casting a glare at the skeletons. "Why would Caster even be in this place in the first place? It doesn't make sense."

"Hey Porn Star, in case you haven't noticed this guy is fucking insane. As my homies always told me, you can never understand an insane bitch. Even if they're your boss." Archer said flippantly. "Mind you, I've always wanted to have a fight in a museum. Strangely enough I never got round to it. Guess none of my enemies were real history fans."

"Quiet." Rin growled. She didn't want to show it, but she was feeling nervous. Saber mentioned that her telepathic powers allowed her to catch a glimpse into Caster's mind as he escaped, and she regarded him as omnicidally insane. And as befitting his class, he had enough prana to burn the city if left unchecked. As she passed under the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, she shuddered to imagine the horrors he could cause with it.

They had to end him now.

"Well, where the fuck is this guy?" Archer asked as they stood in the center of the hall, waving her arms around in annoyance. She wasn't the only one getting worried. Saber's wings were flaring, the claws clicking against each other. Shirou got out his sword, the blade glowing slightly. And Rin prepared her Gandr, a curse that's fired like a bullet. While alone it wouldn't be a threat to a Servant, with his lack of armour and their powerful Servants it should prove distracting enough to get him killed. They readied themselves, but there was no sign of Caster anywhere. Had Rider lied to them?

"Look out!" Shirou yelled, using his sword to bat away a strange small ball-thing. As time slowed from adrenaline, Rin took a better look at it. It was lumpy looking, made from metallic grey material and with a button on the top. It took her a few seconds to realise what it was, having never seen one before.

A grenade.

Archer and Saber grabbed the two Masters and shielded them as the grenade exploded violently, before rushing towards one of the displays for cover. On the way, Saber's barrier was shattered with several powerful shots, impacting against Archer's back. But it lasted long enough for them to get to safety, the bullets now flying wildly.

"It's an ambush!" Rin shouted, ducking as the concrete stand they were hiding behind fractured from the bullets. Rider betrayed them. Why?

"No shit Sherlock!" Archer retorted as she fired a stubby black gun at the other end of the room. "Now how about you be useful and keep that pretty head of yours down? I need to work here." She threw an orb of fire, causing Rider to change targets and knock it out of the air with some kind of concussive blast. Now that she was occupied, Archer ran towards her with enough speed to blow over everything behind her. But as she got near, Grunt stepped out from behind an exhibit and punched her square in the face, sending her flying into a dozen exhibits. Ducking away from the renewed attack, Rin spotted someone moving on the balcony above them. As he peeked over the edge at them, she got a better look. It was some kind of scaled bird-thing, with lots of sharp spines arrayed back, and twin mandibles over his mouth. And in his hand was what looked like a futuristic sniper rifle. It was white with twin barrels, and had some slight yellow on the side from what she could see.

"Master!" Saber yelled, pushing Shirou out of the way. The bullets impacted against her arm, punching holes in it with ease. After three shots her arm was blown off, but she gritted her teeth and waved her other arm at the birdman. He moved just in time to avoid having the balcony collapse under him, firing his rifle blind as he ran. Saber stopped attacking long enough to block the shots with a barrier. "Their bullets are harder to stop. They're going too fast for me."

"Fuck this!" Archer's muffled voice sounded, as she parried Grunt's punches while wearing a dinosaur skull. "Time to level the playing field. **Murder Time, Fun Time.**" She glowed with purple energy as a violet ball expanded to cover the whole room. When Rin could see again, she found herself sitting in a metal seat high above a damaged, paint speckled room. In the center of the room was Rider and her team, looking around for attackers. Saber, Archer and Shirou were all sitting next to her, with Archer looking very smug.

"Ladies and gentlemen." A loud voice started shouting through a megaphone. "I'm Zach…"

"And I'm Bobby." A deeper, gruffer voice finished.

"And Welcome to Professor Genki's Super Ethical Reality Climax!" They both shouted at the same time. A giant sign dropped down from the ceiling, showing the name of this place along with a giant cat head with big green eyes.

"Now then, to all those who didn't grow up in what we like to call the Third Street dimension…" Zach said.

"And thank your God for that." Bobby interrupted.

"…Then allow us to explain just how this Reality Marble works. The aim of it is to earn enough money and make it to the end within the allotted time limit. Of course, this is while running through our deadly gauntlet of traps, weapons, wooden signs, and our starving blood-crazed mascots." The roar of a crowd echoed around them all.

"Rider." Grunt said to her. "When we win, for my next birthday I want to go to this Third Street Dimension."

"Let's just make it through this in one piece Grunt." She replied, readying her weapon.

"Now, as strange as it sounds, there are still some rules for this game."

"That's right Bobby. Mascots are fair game. Hit them with whatever you've got on your person. You'll need it all to survive this. You will also notice wooden signs around the place. These are truly some game changers."

"Right you are Zach. Shoot the tigers or the money shots to gain more points; the time pieces give you longer to fight your way to your doom; and the Dr Genki signs can heal you if you're a complete baby. But don't shoot the pandas. That's unethical and will cost you points."

"UNETHICAL!" The crowd shouted as the sound of a crying baby was played.

"Alright then." Zach continued saying. "Team Rider, are you ready for Fun Time?" Rider and her squad stood before a door with a swirl design on it, weapons at the ready. A series of lights lit up above the door as a scoreboard started glowing. The lights flashed in time with the countdown, until they turned green and the doors opened wide. Rider and her team ran through, hiding behind some cover long enough to spot the mascots shooting at them with guns.

"I'm telling you Bobby, we've been involved in some weird shit over the years."

"I'll say. Professor Genki kidnapping us; mascots getting killed by baby pandas; the fact that he somehow made the Genki Girls by punching people in the balls until they exploded; Getting abducted by Zinyak; and then there was all that weird shit that happened after the Butcher of Stillwater took over."

"What, when she was President of the United States? Or when she took over Zinyak's entire Zin Empire?"

"Both Zach. But definitely after she became an alien Warlord."

"I know what you mean. I still can't believe how many hot naked alien lesbian planets we ran into out there."

"Well I can't believe that the boss managed to fuck every last one of them. No wait, I can totally believe that. Actually, I can't believe she managed to fend off an alien invasion while still fucking them."

"No, I can believe that. What _I_ can't believe is how many she managed to fuck at the same time. There's got to be a law of physics that says a person couldn't fuck 20 girls at the same time."

"There probably was, until the Boss found it and riddled it with bullets." As Rin tried to ignore their vulgar talk, she watched as Rider and her team started tearing through the mascots. Rider was now glowing with blue energy, while the Birdman was sniping mascots from across the room as Grunt shoulder-charged them.

"And Rider's doing some good footwork, keeping one step out of the fire. Hey, hey, what's this book here?" They heard Zach ask before there was the sound of pages flipping. "'The Reality Marble's Commentator Guide Book?' What the hell does that mean?"

"Give it here Zach." They heard the sound of more flipping pages. "Ok, here's something useful. According to this, Rider was an intergalactic heroine who saved everyone from an evil machine race called the Reapers. Huh, guess it tells us all about the Servants."

"Does it have her name?"

"Nope. But apparently she got to become really famous for almost singlehandedly holding off an invasion of space pirates until the Space Navy people got their asses together. She then went on to become a Spectre, some kind of space cowboy cop, found out about the Reapers, and told them to go fuck themselves. But not before killing a rogue Spectre and blowing up the Reaper Vanguard. I'd like to point out that the average Reaper is the size of… A Fucking Dreadnought?"

"Really? How did she die, punching one in the face?"

"Well actually, she's died twice. The first time was from an attack from Reaper minions, but she was brought back to life to kick their asses a second time. And the second time she was shot with an anti-dreadnaught laser, bleeding all over, stabbed in the gut with some rubble, and even then it took throwing herself into a disintegration beam that spread her atoms through every living thing in the galaxy before she finally died."

"Well if she ever came back the third time, God himself wouldn't be able to kill her. But what about her allies right now? Who the hell are they?"

"Let's see, let's see… The sniper is a Turian by the name of Garrus. Originally meant to join the Spectres, he pussied out and instead joined the regular intergalactic police C-Sec. But when Rider came into his case, shooting up crooks and waving that sweet ass of hers, he finally got his dick back and choked some dudes with it. After she died, instead of wimping out again, he headed to Omega. The nastiest, most crime-ridden place in the galaxy, run by a queen who began as a stripper and can do some crazy shit with her mind."

"So in a sense, their version of Stillwater."

"…Yeah actually. Ok, went by the name of Archangel; gathered a team; blah, blah, blah; Pissed off the three biggest gangs so much they teamed up just to kill one guy. And were losing. Gee, I wonder how it would've gone if the Ronin, Sons of Samadi and Brotherhood worked together against the Boss."

"Hey look, a shooting duck gallery." Archer replied, laughing as Grunt sent a mascot into the air just in time for Garrus to shoot him and three other mascots at once.

"There's your answer Bobby. Now hand it over. I want to learn about Grunt."

"He's a tank-bred Krogan, designed for war. The perfect specimen of his kind for his young age, it took 200 men to finally kill him after a drunken rampage for a bowl of noodles."

"Forget that. I want to know what he is." The sounds of scuffling ended as Zach finally got the book. "Let's see. Krogan, Krogan. Krogan are a very tough species, with multiple redundant systems, several organs, very tough hides, resistant to toxins, can eat almost anything. Holy shit, these guys are tough. And… what the fuck?"

"What?"

"According to this, the Krogan are the prey creatures on their planet."

"…Ok, what the fuck is the Apex predator to make these super soldiers look like prey?"

"I don't know Bobby, but I wouldn't want to tangle with it. Ah, it says the Apex predator is the Thresher Maw, a giant acid-spitting worm monster. To give you an idea of how tough they are, the 'Mother of all Thresher Maws' managed to actually _kill_ one of the Reapers after it was summoned with a Maw hammer. Everyone thought it would just distract it with its death while they snuck past, but instead it actually killed it."

"I want one for a pet. Wait, what's a maw hammer?"

"Against all logical actions, the Krogan created hammers designed to summon these things so they can see how long they can last against them. This is like the most manly species ever made."

"I want an army of them." Archer shouted, pointing at Grunt. By now, Rider's team had reached the money limit and were now fighting their way into the last room. Rin was getting worried. If they won this 'game', what would happen to them? But as Rider made it to the last room, the lights darkened and the doors closed around them. All was silent. Then they heard noises.

_Stomp, stomp, clap. Stomp, stomp, clap. Stomp, stomp, clap. Stomp, stomp, clap._

"Uh oh." Zach said. "You all know what that noise means. I hope Rider's got a change of knickers!" The door before them opened as Queen's 'We Will Rock You' started playing, mascot singing in the stands. A giant man stomped into view, looking malformed and beyond angry. Heavy armour covered his body, baring only his arms as a helmet folded over his face. "It's a Boss Fight!" Zach and Bobby shouted at the same time. Rider and her team took one look at the brute and immediately charged in different directions, splitting his attention between them. Rider waved her arm and the brute was covered in a glowing purple aura, while Grunt fired a large shell in response. The brute roared as the shell and the aura exploded, scorching his armour. He charged for Rider's position, but she moved her arm up and he went flying overhead, getting blasted several times by Garrus. The Brute managed to get his minigun started, and forced Rider's team to hide behind cover as he crashed to the ground. As he got back up, he grabbed several grenades and threw them at the cover, flushing the Servants from them.

"Go Brute, go brute, go brute." Three cheerleaders started chanting. One was a dark skinned woman with ginger hair, dressed in a tiger-striped bikini, with green striped legwarmers and cat gloves, and wearing cat ears and an eye patch. Next to her was a Goth girl dressed in a tight black shirt, white briefs, blue paws and legwarmers, and what looked like panda ears. The third girl was a blond slut dressed in a bikini top and wearing a very short skirt. With her pink legwarmers and glasses, she was kind of like a slutty megane girl. "Come on Brute, you can win. Throw those bastards in the bin. One more fight and you shall pass. Rape this girl up in her ass. Win this fight and win this hunt. And we'll let you fuck our cunts."

Oh god, this was insane. And what she hated most was that it worked. The Brute roared loudly and started tearing his way through the barricades after Rider's team. Garrus dropped several hexagonal devices that exploded once the Brute got close, but he just roared louder and started trying to hit him with the minigun. Rider pulled out a long tube from her back that unfolded into a rocket launcher. The rocket curved in the air to hit the Brute, burning his skin and removing armour. The Brute responded by swatting Garrus aside and grabbing Rider. She started struggling as his grip tightened, her armour groaning under his grip. This was it, Archer was going to win. But Grunt charged at him, shouting at the top of his lungs and surrounded by a hexagonal purple barrier. He charged the brute hard enough to knock him over, forcing him to drop Rider to grab his minigun. They wrestled for it a bit, but Grunt was so busy using one hand to blast him time and again with his shotgun that the Brute got his minigun back and unloaded it point-blank range The shield flickered for several seconds while Grunt swapped his shotgun for a black with a spike attached to it, and when his shield shattered he started stabbing the Brute right in the face. Both combatants fell to the ground, still tearing each other apart even as they faded away. Soon, there was nothing left of them. Rider started tapping some buttons on a glowing orange sleeve, and she and Garrus stumbled their way to the final room. A loud horn sounded, and the scoreboard showed that they barely made it.

"Well it may not have been the finale that Archer wanted, but it certainly put a dent into Rider. But that's all the time we have for tonight folks." Zach said over the loudspeaker.

"So goodnight, enjoy your lives, and remember…"

"Murder Time, Fun Time!" They both shouted as one while the room faded away. Rin, Shirou, Saber and Archer reappeared behind the exhibits again, but Rider and Garrus were standing out in the open.

"Fuck them up!" Archer shouted as she started blasting at them. Rider quickly rolled aside, pulling Garrus after her.

"**N7 Reassignment: Vanguard."** Rider shouted, her armour changing. It was now less curved in the chest area, with larger shoulders and more armoured legs and arms. Her head was more bared, wearing only a blue glass bar over her eyes. She glowed with the familiar purple-blue glow, and she seemed to vanish. Rin quickly followed the line of purple in the air to see Rider hiding behind some more exhibits. She ducked down as Saber fired an orb at her, while Archer's fire orb was sniped by Garrus. The centre of the room was filled with flames.

"**The Swarm is Here: Hydralisks, Swarm Hosts."** Saber intoned, the ground around her becoming covered in purple moss. Strange creatures burrowed out of the moss, growing into eggs before hatching into even stranger monsters. Half of them became serpentine with two large scythe blades for arms and spines sticking out of their backs. They were adorned with large crests that extended from their mandibled heads. The other half were…disgusting. They were crab-like monsters with large front legs, and an armoured head and neck. But their most noticeable feature was the massive plate attached to their back with holes all over it. Eggs pulsated inside the holes as they scurried behind more cover and burrowed in until only the plates were still visible. The eggs were forced out of the holes, lying on the ground until they hatched into small armoured bugs with sharp pincers and spines. The bugs crawled closer to Rider, firing their spines at her until she blasted them. But even as they died, more were being spawned from the mother. Meanwhile, the snake-things were having trouble hitting Rider or Garrus behind their cover, their spines striking the skeleton they used. So instead, Saber focused her mind and they became covered in mucus layers. Soon, they were giant eggs, pulsating until they hatched. Rider and Garrus tried to shoot them, but Saber and Archer were busy keeping them occupied. When they hatched, they were now more heavily armoured, with six legs and massive crests that covered their whole body. They spread out in formation before burrowing, again only the crest still visible. Garrus quickly moved as a giant spike erupted from where he was standing, before retracting again. Rider and Garrus moved to a different cover, but all their forces targeted them again.

It was only a matter of time before they won.

* * *

**(9:20pm, Ryuudou Shrine)**

"Honey, I'm home." Kefka called out as he came bounding with the bag filled with children. They had put up a lot of fuss on the way back, but after he used his magic to seal their mouths shut and break their limbs they were much nicer to him. And they made such cute noises when he jostled them together. "How's the barbeque pit going?"

"Oh, it's going great." Assassin replied happily. "Or at least it would be if my minions weren't so lazy. Dig faster, or I'll turn you all into a foot massage machine!"

"Yes, Assassin." The robot minions replied in a monotone voice, digging a hole into the ground. It was going to useful in two ways. Kefka could mark in the necessary runes he needed to convert the brats into more prana, and it gave him a place to bury them when they were too sleepy.

"And then I'll give the lot of you to the local retirement homes, with all their sweaty feet and foot fungi. And then I'll have you lot explode and paint a lovely red smile on the city." He added, hoping he could motivate them too.

"Oh god. There are two of them." One minion stated in horror, digging faster than ever. They started laughing until they were lit up with a bright light. The student boy with blue hair was glaring at them from his window, looking at the hole with a dash of horror.

"…What the hell are you two _doing_?" He asked loudly. Honestly, at this rate they'll wake up everyone in the neighbourhood. Hasn't this boy ever heard of common courtesy?

"We're preparing for a movie we're making." Kefka lied, nudging Assassin by the shoulder. "It's still a work in progress, but we're getting there."

"Yes, indeed. PLACES!" Half the minions quickly moved to stand on either side of Assassin, while Kefka bounded over to stand opposite them. "Mwa hah ha hah! You're too late Jester. Soon, my puppy and children powered drill will be ready, and we will remove all the happiness from the world and send it to the heart of the planet to burn. And there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"You shall not succeed, Baron O'Meanie. Not while C.L.O.W.N has anything to say about it. **Monster R' Us: Jokers.**" He summoned the Joker monster from home, little men in striped clothes, pointed shoes and blue umbrellas. They floated down and started raining acid on the minions, causing them to say 'ouch' over and over again. The minions readied their weapons while the Jokers got ready for another fly-by. Kefka looked up to see if he would get to silence the boy.

"…I give up. Just please don't keep us awake any longer, alright?" And the boy closed the window behind him. Satisfied they weren't going to be interrupted anymore, Kefka dismissed the Jokers while the minions kept digging.

"You know, Lancer really came through with the information." He said to Assassin as they waited. He sat on the children and gave them a few punches until they were more comfortable. "These kids will really boost our prana."

"I'm still trying to figure out what her Master's angle is. No one evil enough to kill children would give us this from the goodness of their black heart."

"I would, but only because we both want to kill everything. And I'd want to keep half for myself."

"Exactly. Yet this squishy gave us all the kids for free. They're probably planning on making sure every other Servant unites against us. But we've got plans for that."

"Oh yes, we have plans. Wait, we have plans?" Granted, Kefka was truly as insane as he appeared, but it wasn't all an act.

"Oh yes. **Lawrence.**" A ghostly visage of a robot manservant appeared before them. "Status report."

"Gladly Sir. Lord Vorselon reports that Saber and Archer are currently fighting Rider instead of hunting us down, while Berserker is busy fighting another Berserker Servant. Shall we deal with both teams?"

"No. Wait till one team wins, and then kill them while they're weakened. We can't let this chance slip us by." The hologram nodded before vanishing. "So, Rider, Saber and Archer had a disagreement. Perhaps it was luck. Or maybe our new 'benefactor' had a hand in it."

"I don't like it. I don't want a hand, I want a foot. Or maybe a pelvis. Actually get me a heart. I love hearts."

"I think that before we launch our plans we need to find out just who controls Lancer and silence them. You just know that they'll end up ruining our plans and taking over."

"Ooh. If there's one thing I hate most it's thieves. I just want to rip and mangle this man already. And then we can serve him with mango and strawberries and, ooh, ooh. Brain pie. My favourite."

"That sounds good. I'll have a slice."

* * *

**(Dr Ragland's **_**Former**_** Clinic)**

Mercer smiled as he watched his Infected fighting the demons. Every time they bit and clawed at each other, the virus was learning more about their physiology. If he kept Berserker alive for a bit longer, he could find new weapons to wield against anyone standing in his way. Berserker was rampaging through his numbers with gusto, her fiery skin making her immune to his virus. Mercer on the other hand was all set up to be a 'baby factory'. His lower half was a mass of tendrils and vaginas, looking like some sicko's fetish. Every now and then, he pulled in ruined corpses and rebirthed them as new Infected Hunters and Walkers. His upper body was still Irisviel Von Einzbern, looking completely unblemished despite the fighting. It amused him, watching Illya's face growing redder and redder with every second. It was especially funny when she started squawking like some demented bird whenever he pawed his breasts.

"You know, I understand how bad it is not having someone close to you in body and mind. Few women were interested in a walking STD factory either." He said in Iri's soft voice. "But if you like, you could sit in my lap while your Servant gets mauled by my pets." And he grew a large dick in the centre of a moulded seat.

He wasn't sure how, but she definitely popped another blood vessel when he did that. You'd think she'd have run out of them by now. "Berserker! Burn everything!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. The Servant glowed even brighter until even his own demons were panting from the heat. And then he exploded into a massive fireball, turning all their forces into ash. Mercer swore as he ripped free of his lower half, watching as half of it crawled away before burning away. Now he had less Biomass to use. A flaw of being flesh and blood again, he couldn't just make more from prana.

Oh well. If little Miss Bitchypants wants a real fight, he's happy to oblige.

He moulded his biomass into armour, making sure to keep Iri's damn fine figure while he did so. It wasn't any hassle to him. It didn't matter what his body looked like. As long as he had two arms and two legs, he would still fight with gusto. He charged Berserker, punching her in the face several times before jumping overhead, grabbing her spike-wings and slamming her into the ground. But it didn't faze her as much as he liked, since she sliced into his legs and knocked him down. Her flame-infused grip melted through the biomass he had, forcing him to cut them off before it got any higher. Growling in anger, he used what little biomass he had left to form his hammerfists, slamming down on her before she got back up fully. He slammed her down, again and again, not giving her any time to get back up. As he was about to slam for a fifth time, she suddenly turned into black smoke and reappeared above him. He grunted as she slammed down on him, before throwing her off and running from the fire she used. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't adjust to heat as well as other threats. He quickly grabbed a nearby car and slammed it into her, not even surprised when it just melted against her instead of doing any real damage. Changing tack, he threw the part he had left straight for Illya, wanting to take her out of the fight. As he expected, Berserker redirected his flames to swat the car piece out of the air. While she was distracted, he tapped into all the remaining biomass he had left. It was going to be close, and he wouldn't have enough for a second blast. But it would be enough. He tensed up, forcing all the excess into his arms. Once there was enough, he held his hands out like a hadoken, firing a massive beam of biomass into Berserker. It pushed her back, smashing her into the ruins of his clinic until the whole thing collapsed on her. He drew back in the fragments still stuck to him before turning to face Illya. He grinned evilly. She gulped in terror. As he started stalking over to her, his senses picked up something from behind him. He turned to see Berserker's human form stumble her way out of the rubble. She didn't look evil or insane anymore. She looked scared and confused. But in the heart of her emotions, she was determined.

"Jeez, you just don't know when to fucking quit, do you?" He said to her. She just glared at him in response.

"**Memories of My Friends. Come Forth and Defend Me."** She glowed with a bright light that spread to six points. Frome each point a new hero emerged. One contained a barbarian with long grey hair and beard, decked in black spiked armour and holding onto two lethal-looking axes. Next to him was a woman dressed in purple rags and feathers, her face hidden behind a massive mask as she held onto a wicked knife and a dangling skull. Next to her was another woman dressed in leather and scaled armour, holding onto two small crossbows and glaring at him with glowing eyes under a red hood. She was next to a bald man in thick ornate robes, with a sturdy beard on his face, a long staff at his back, and two sharp knuckledusters on his hands. Next to him was an Asian woman dressed in long, stylish black robes, holding a wand in one hand and a floating, shifting cube in the other. Finally, at the end of the line was a tall man decked entirely in heavy plate armour with a cross on the front. He held a large flail and shield combo in his hands.

Sometimes, Alex _really_ hated when Servants could summon other Servants to fight with them.

Illya smiled as Berserker used one of her Noble Phantasms to level the playing field. True, Other Berserker was a lot stronger than she realised. But hopefully these six Servants would be powerful enough to finish him. And he was visibly weakened now, his body ragged and thin.

She could already taste victory.

"Well, I'm man enough to admit when I'm beaten." He said, holding his hands in front of him. "Normally I'd love to try and kick your asses. But I'm just not feeling up to it right now. But rest assured, when we next fight I won't underestimate you again."

"And what makes you think that we'll just let you leave?" The barbarian said, stomping forward in a threatening way. But Other Berserker just kept smirking.

"Why, because you'll have some trouble catching me of course." And he melted into a swarm of rats, spreading out to all four corners. The Servants unleashed powerful blasts, squashing and burning as many as they could. But there were just too many rats. Illya saw plenty get away. As she watched some enter a sewer cover, she thought she spotted a metal butler peeking around a corner at her. But then he faded in a bright light. Another Servant saw the whole thing. They knew one of Berserker's powers now. How long have they been watching them?

"Thank you, my friends." Berserker said warmly to the Servants. "Just a little bit longer, and this nightmare can finally end."

"But what if Diablo is still in charge?" The monk asked her. "What will you do then?"

"I just have to hope my Mistress won't let a monster like him make a wish." She replied as they faded away. As they left Berserker started crying.

It made Illya wonder what it was like to have friends and people that cared for you.

**And we leave our heroes in a bit of a cliffhanger. Don't worry, we'll see one of the most awesome characters arrive next chapter. And I've got a good idea on how to show how awesome and badass he is. Can you guess who he is? Hint: He worked with Shepard.**

**And yeah, I originally wanted to have all of Lancer's past in this chapter, but then I had a look at the word count and I realised how much I spent on just the first half of it. I'm going to skim over some of the rest of it next time we see Lancer, but it's still going to be a long one at this rate.**

**The Brute in **_**Murder Time, Fun Time**_** is a lot tougher than normal brutes since at max level you could kill them in only a few seconds. I wanted to have Grunt die to give Rider an excuse to summon a different crew member to fight. And she didn't bring Jack because she refused to obey any orders from a Command Seal. As she was summoned by Rider, the crew aren't affected by Command Seals. Garrus agreed to fight to try and protect his girlfriend.**

**And yes, Alex was being very creepy. Alex doesn't have a real moral compass like we do. He acts a bit like a gamer would in GTA, Saints Row, that kind of thing. Yes, it's insulting. But as a gamer, I'll admit it can be like that at times.**

**Finally, I figured I'd show Archer's Stat Sheet since we see her Noble Phantasm for the first time. This thing will happen a few more times, and there will be other bosses.**

**(And yes. Professor Genki will be a Boss. With Superpowers.)**

* * *

Archer

Name: Unknown (Boss)

Series: Saint's Row

Master: Rin Tohsaka

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Parameters

Strength: B++

Endurance: A

Agility: A

Magical Power: N/A

Good Luck: A

Noble Phantasm: A

Class Skills:

**Independent Action** (A)

Independent Action is the ability to remain independent even when rejecting the prana supply from the Master. At the higher ranks, it is also possible to remain for extended periods of time in this world without an established contract. It is both useful and troublesome depending on the disposition of the Servant and the rank of Independent Action. Acting in autonomy from the Master's prana supply, the Master can concentrate their own prana on large spells, or the Servant will be fine even in the case they cannot supply prana due to injury. The downside is that they can be harder to control and keep by their side, making the only true way to command them by utilizing Command Spells. At this rank one can remain for a week after losing their master, but the use of large prana Noble Phantasms require a Master to use.

**Riding** (B)

Riding is expertise to ride animals and vehicles. At this rank Archer can drive any vehicle, but animals and Phantasmal Beasts are unknown to her.

Personal Skills:

**Bravery** (A+)

Bravery is the ability to negate mental interference such as pressure, confusion and fascination. Not usable under the effects of _Mad Enhancement_. At this rank Archer's bravery can actually increase her melee damage.

**Charisma** (A)

Charisma is the natural talent to command an army. Increases the effect of allies during a group battle. A rare talent, and an ability inherent to Servants of the Saver Class. It is said that a rank of B in this skill is sufficient to lead a nation as its king. At this rank Archer can be said to have achieved the greatest level of popularity as a human being.

**Collector** (B)

Collector is the 'talent' to collect high quality goods - a 'luck' that draws rare items into the possession of the Servant. However, the Servant's Master derives no benefit from this personal skill. At this rank Archer has the ability to add any item she obtains from her fallen enemies to use at a later date.

**Eye of the Mind (True)** (B)

Eye of the Mind (True) is a heightened capacity for observation, refined through experience. At this rank Archer is capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning.

**Golden Rule** (A)

Golden Rule measures one's fortune to acquire wealth. At this rank money problems are completely unknown.

**Pioneer of the Stars** (EX)

Pioneer of the Stars is the unique Skill given to heroes that became turning points in the human history. All difficult voyages and challenges which are considered "impossible" turn into "events that can be realized".

**Subversive Activities** (A)

Subversive Activities is the talent to reduce the enemy forces in the preliminary stages, before going into battle. An expert of traps. However, the higher is the ranking of this Skill, the more one's spiritual status as a hero declines. At this rank it is possible to disable nearly 60% of the total military force before the enemy advances.

Noble Phantasms:

**Murder Time, Fun Time** (Anti-Group)

Archer creates a Reality Marble based on Professor Genki's Super Ethical Reality Climax. In order to escape enemy Servants must fight their way through a gauntlet of traps and killer mascots. At the end Professor Genki and the Genki Girls might appear as bosses.

**Sometimes Crazy Works** (Anti-Unit) (Self)

Archer has done many crazy things. Because of that, the crazier the situation, the higher her luck and chances of success will be.

**Saint's Row, Bitches** (Anti-Army)

Archer summons the spirits of her crew, each with super powers and a shit-load of guns. This can range from the least combatant member Matt Miller, to Johnny Gat himself.


	7. Bring in the Benchwarmers

Chapter 7: Bring in the Benchwarmers

**(9:00pm, Fuyuki Museum, Jurassic Wing)**

Shepard gritted her teeth in frustration as she and Garrus fended off another wave on enemies. There were just too many of them. Normally, she'd wait behind cover and pick them off until she ran out of ammo, but she had Saber and Archer to deal with too. She quickly ran to another display as Archer's guitar/rocket launcher blew up the dinosaur she was hiding behind. She fired blindly to distract them until she reached the cover, popping out the heat sink and loading in more. Luckily for her, all her weapons were a fusion of the newer guns and older ones. If she ever ran out of heat sinks, she still had the old system. She'd just have to make sure it didn't overheat.

"I'm really starting to hate regenerators." Garrus said over the comms as he sniped another of the spine creatures. "No matter how many times I shoot them, they just keep going. Do we have a plan?"

"I wish. If we stay, we're dead. But if we move to escape, we're dead." She tried to remember all her Noble Phantasms and what they did. "Cover me for a bit. I'm going to give myself an edge." Garrus nodded, before forcing Archer to duck behind cover. She concentrated deeply, feeling her cybernetic parts heating up. Of all the abilities she was granted, this was not one she expected.

"**Assuming Direct Control."** She said, her voice gaining a deeper echo to it. She rose up in the air, her skin and armour fracturing under the strain she was putting her body under. Saber and Archer tried to go for her, but Garrus was skilled enough to keep them at bay long enough for her to drop back down. The statue she had been hiding behind shattered as excess energy exploded from her, but she didn't need cover as much anymore. She quickly used Charge to relay herself past their defences, causing a wave of biotic energy to blow everything around her away. With her shields restored, she unleashed them in a Nova blast, practically disintegrating the remaining monsters around her. While Archer and Saber jumped away, she grabbed the shell of one of the spawners and ripped it off, jamming it into another spawner's back. Saber must've used the lull in combat to spawn more of the little dog-creatures, but they weren't a threat to her. Shepard charged again, appearing right in front of Saber and causing the dogs to explode. Shepard dogpiled her, punching her arms off before feeling her shields shatter under Saber's blades. She charged again, heading for Archer while Garrus kept laying suppressing fire against the Masters. As she got close, Archer suddenly glowed with fire and moved faster than before, her sword covered in flames. They charged for each other, but instead of clashing like she expected, Shepard used her biotics to pull Archer over herself. Archer cursed up a storm but was still dangerous. Shepard learnt that the hard way when she grabbed her fist, ignoring the biotic field around it, and started pummelling her back. She felt her helmet and skull fracturing under the blows before she unleashed a shockwave to separate them. Weakened and disorientated, she charged back behind cover.

"Thanks for that Commander." Garrus said warmly. "But that's not all of them. We'll need to call someone else from the Normandy."

"Agreed." Shepard replied as she applied some medigel to her skull. "But we'll need to pick wisely. I don't want to lose any more people than I have to."

"**The Swarm is Here: Ultralisks."** They heard Saber shout out. They peeked over cover to see two giant eggs sprouting from the organic material covering the ground. Shepard had to quickly duck as Archer and her Master started gunning for her, While Saber created a biotic barrier that held against Garrus' blasts. By the time she could look again, the eggs had both hatched. And now she was very worried. These 'Ultralisks' looked like they were from Tuchunka, big as an average building and covered in plating and spikes, with two giant blades attached to their backs. They glared at Shepard with hate-filled eyes, the blades twitching in anticipation. Shepard turned to see Garrus' mandibles hanging open, the Turian version of a jaw drop. She now knew who exactly to call for.

She just hoped he was now strong enough.

"**Normandy, Requesting Support. Battlemaster."** She shouted into her comm as the beasts started charging. She and Garrus started unloading their toughest guns and powers into them, but they just seemed to make them angrier. She was afraid she was about to die when she heard the sound of the Kodiak dropping in. Something large dropped from the sky before one of the beasts, and then dust billowed around as they collided. They could hear a crashing sound of flesh against flesh, before the dust dropped away. She smiled in satisfaction.

Standing before them, holding one of the Ultralisks in place by its tusks, was her old friend Urdnot Wrex.

"Hmph." He grunted. "You beasts think you're so big and tough, don't you?" The Ultralisk tried to fight free while the second tried to get past it. "Well let me tell you right now, you're facing a Krogan Battlemaster. And we eat things like you for breakfast." He punctuated his boast by pulling it closer and bashing its head wide open, before ripping off the blades with a single pull. The second beast shoved its fallen brethren aside, allowing Wrex to slam the blades into it and dropping it. Archer jumped overhead just in time for Wrex to slap her through a wall and charge in after her. Shepard smiled as she reloaded her heat sinks.

Things were definitely looking up.

* * *

**(Fuyuki Museum, **_**Former**_** Cretaceous Exhibit)**

"What the fuck?" Archer groaned as she stumbled out of an exhibit. What happened? One moment she was jumping over one of those giant monsters at another Krogan, and then the next she was sitting in a bunch of scrap feeling like she had one hell of a party and now had a brute punching her head for kicks. She shook her head clear just in time to see the Krogan stomp through the hole in the wall. The sound of gunfire echoed from the main room, but she didn't care. Saber and her kids could handle Rider. She just wanted to kick this dude's head. Except…

"Holy shit, you're big." She said aloud. He was. At least two heads taller than her and with a massive plate on his head, this dude looked like a fucking battering ram. "Hey, are you well-endowed too? I've been itching for a real toy for ages." Goddamn stupid Throne. What kind of throne doesn't come with a few hookers?

The Krogan chuckled. "While I like where this is going, I prefer where it was heading before even more."

"Damn. I was looking forward to some action." And she threw a fireball right at his face.

But instead of getting blown away or turning into a hamburger, he charged right through it and slammed into her head-on. She smashed him a few times over the hump, but he just laughed and kept charging through more walls. Everytime she tried to pull free, he crashed into something else and forced her back down. She couldn't pull out a weapon without it getting knocked out of her hands. So she tried to wrench him down to the ground. Luckily for her, his low centre of gravity allowed her to finally get her feet back on the ground. As it crumbled beneath her as he pushed her along, she wrapped her arms around him as best as she could. Grinning, she managed to lift him overhead and throw him through another set of walls. She stomped on over, readying her shotgun as she went. This dino was dead.

And then she could only gasp as a few hundred newtons of force slammed into her.

"Oh Goddammit. This dude's a fucking Warden." She groaned, getting out of another exhibit. She looked up just in time to see him throw a dinosaur skull at her, before charging in again and blasting her with his shotgun. Her armour fragmented under all the blows, letting her boobs hang out freely. She smushed his face into them before grabbing her shotgun again and blasting at him. He responded by grabbing onto a dinosaur leg bone and breaking it over her head. He then grabbed her by the legs and threw her through a wall, leaving her groaning in a heap. Grumbling and swearing like mad, she got back to her feet, stumbling about as she did. The Krogan stomped through the hole, his shotgun in his hands, before stopping and looking around in confusion. She wondered what had distracted him as she looked around too. Was it Saber? Was it one of her fucking monsters? Was it Saber _fucking_ one of her monsters?

Actually, it was that the wall to the left of them (or was it the right?) already had a big hole in it.

She couldn't help herself. Her light-headedness caused her to start laughing like mad as she clutched her stomach. Unbelievable. They somehow managed to get turned around and smash all the way back to where they started from. As she looked up, she saw that the dino was laughing too, a deep booming laugh that shook the ground. The sight of it set her off again, and she just kept going.

Right up until she pulled a minigun out of her ruined pants.

But the dino glowed with a thick purple glow and charged her again, ignoring the bullets slamming into him as he went. She quickly stomped the ground to try and stop him, but he just kept going and slammed into her again. She felt the barrel of his gun against her bared skin, still hot and burning.

And then she heard – more like felt – the sound of a massive explosion.

* * *

**(9:10, Jurassic Wing)**

Rin was getting _very_ worried now.

She knew that was the way of the Holy Grail War. Kotomine drilled that into her all the time. In the War, you can make all the plans you want and everything can look like it's going according to plan. But all it takes is for one tiny action to throw everything into the trash. Before they had Rider all but dead. Now, Archer was missing, Saber was running low on prana and monsters, and Rider was still going, holding them all at range. She fired off a spell whenever possible, but her curses were no real threat to a Servant. At best they'd be a distraction. She hissed as another bullet chipped off a golf-ball sized rock from the decoration she was hiding behind. Where the hell was Archer?

A loud boom answered her question, as Archer came sailing out through a wall, smashing through the upper balcony before slamming crater into the other wall and falling to a heap. She looked horrible. Most of her armour had been shredded, and her chest was completely burnt. Her breasts were little more than mangled flaps of skin, and she thought she could even see her insides.

"Archer!" She shouted, now completely worried. This was bad. This was bad, this was bad. "Archer, can you hear me?" No response. "Archer?!" She leaned out slightly to try and get a better look, and screamed as her arm felt like it was on fire. She crouched down, feeling unbelievable pain as she tried to cradle it. Her vision swam as she saw something familiar on the ground next to her. An arm, the elbow charcoal and draped in red cloth. It took her too long to realise what it was.

Her arm.

"Dammit. Saber! We need to get out of here!" Shirou shouted as he deflected another shot with his sword, pulling her out of the line of fire. She could only stare in horror. Her arm. Her arm. Her arm. "You grab Archer. I've got Rin. Head back to the base without us if you have to."

"Understood." Saber replied, jumping up high. She only dimly remembered what happened next. The Krogan stomped back out of the hole, shooting at any of Saber's monsters within range. Saber grabbed hold of a giant pillar before chanting something, causing the whole thing to glow bright purple. As it did so, she moved to another pillar and did the same, and another, and another. She then grabbed Archer and ran as the pillars started exploding loudly, causing rubble to crash around them. The dino marched for them, but Rider shouted at him as their strange ship appeared next to them. He glared at them for a second before rushing back to Rider as Shirou carried her out of the room.

The last thing she remembered was the sound of the whole room collapsing behind them.

* * *

**(9:15, Emiya Home)**

"…Police are still baffled and concerned by the apparently _full-scale war_ that levelled the Fuyuki Museum's entire Dinosaur wing a mere 5 minutes ago." The TV newscaster said. "Police originally responded to an anonymous call at 9:00 about strange noises coming from the museum, including gunfire, explosions, smashes, and even strange animal sounds. By the time police arrived though, the entire building had collapsed. While police are still tallying damages and checking for signs of sabotage, they can confirm at this time signs of fire, explosive damage, and even a strange black muck inside the main exhibits. Strangely enough though, the muck had dissolved by the time our news team arrived at the scene. Police are asking everyone to remain calm and report any suspicious behaviour they see. In other news, the local orphanage was attacked, and all the children were abducted. Ms Seelie, the manager of the Orphanage, explained that she tried to fend off attackers, but they managed to sneak around her when she was occupied. Police are offering a substantial reward to anyone that knows about the whereabouts of the children…" The TV flickered as Shirou turned it off, sighing in frustration. This was a disaster. Archer was badly wounded, Rin had lost an arm, and while they were busy fighting Rider, Caster and Assassin had stolen all those kids. He knew some of them. They had been his neighbours before the Fuyuki Fire. In fact – he realised – if Kiritsugu hadn't adopted him, he might've been one of those kids. As he sat there thinking, Arthas walked into the room.

"Hey Shirou." He said as he sat down. "You'll be pleased to know that Rin's not going to lose any more blood, and Archer's healing up quickly once we realised food caused some sort of regenerative ability. Hopefully, she'll be back up and about over the next couple of days."

He nodded, grateful for Arthas' magical knowledge. "What about Saber? Did she use up a lot of prana during the fight?"

"She did, but she says she's taking care of it." He sighed. "Everything just happens at once, doesn't it? Like some demented god's hanging overhead, making sure that we all end up in the same room to fight for their enjoyment."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. This is almost like that time the Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel was destroyed and a hailstorm billowed in…" His sentence slowed as he realised the truth. "That was a Holy Grail Battle, wasn't it?"

"It was. Lancer and her master were set up in the top floors of the Hyatt. Kiritsugu wasn't going to fight through his endless horde of spirits and defences like the guy expected, and had everyone evacuated so he could blow it up. But we didn't expect Lancer to have a dragon, so I ended up chasing her with my own dragon."

One battle. All that damage from one battle. At times like this Shirou felt like he was over his head. He was only acting reactively. If someone got hurt, he'd stop them. But he was always behind when bigger things like this happened. He stopped himself. If he tried to plan for everything, he was just going to keep failing. Especially since Caster didn't seem at all sane. His thoughts were interrupted by Rin entering the room. She looked pale and frail, with one arm bandaged and shorter than the other, but the look in her eyes was fiery.

"Team discussion. Now." She said firmly, sitting down at the seat and plonking down a large piece of paper. They watched her struggle with the pen one-handed until Shirou took pity on her and got it started for her. She glared at him in anger, but her eyes were brimming with tears. "It's pretty clear that Rider was never on our side to begin with. Most likely she called for a truce so she could lure us into an ambush that favoured her and take us out. It's only thanks to Archer's… unusual Reality Marble that we managed to gain an advantage over her team."

"Which you then lost when she boosted her power and summoned a new crew member." Arthas stated, ignoring her glare. "And at the same time this was happening, Caster and Assassin arrived to attack Avenger and kidnap the orphans, most likely to drain of their prana. And given that Casters are powerful magi, whatever he's got planned is not good for us."

"I just can't believe that Rider would side with Caster." Shirou said dumbfounded. "She seemed nice. And Caster attacked both of us."

"Oh please. It was obviously a set-up. Rider would get on our good side by fending off Caster, then they'd stab us in the back. That's what people do in the Grail War. Everyone's out for number one."

"While Rin makes a good point, I have to agree with Shirou on this." They all heard Saber's voice in their heads, causing them to look around wildly. "I managed to get a glimpse into Rider's head during the fight, and I sensed pure anger. And guilt over betraying us."

"Are… Are you speaking to us telepathically?" Shirou was worried. He was a healthy teenage boy surrounded by three hot beautiful women. And One of them was Saber.

"I am, but I am only projecting my voice into you and listening in on your conversation. I won't pry for anything."

"Good. My head's not a nice place to be." Arthas replied. "Now, who was Rider angry at?"

"Her Master. He used his Command Seals to force her to attack us. And he's using another to stop her from attacking him."

"…The idiot must be desperate. He's only got three of them. If he uses them all up then he can't control his Servant anymore. And he won't be a Master any longer. So either he's being an idiot who wasted his Command Seals for this failed attack…"

"Highly likely." Rin said acidly.

"…Or he's got a way to get more Seals." Arthas finished. "Either way, he's becoming a big annoyance. We may have to take him out somehow."

"Look, I'll admit he's a bit of an ass." Shirou said. "But that's hardly a reason to kill him. If we can stop him from commanding Rider, then he's not a threat to anyone. No Servant, no skills."

"Well, we could disarm him. That's how the last Caster replaced his Master." Shirou didn't like it any more than killing him, but at least Shinji would still be alive. He supposed Rin was lucky it was her _other_ hand that had been severed. "But that still leaves the question of Caster. Our original plan had been to work with Rider to stop him. But if she's been compromised, then we need to find a new ally."

"Agreed." Saber said. "Perhaps we could direct Berserker to soften him up. And perhaps I could…" She stopped for some reason. Now Shirou was interested in what she was going to say. Arthas smirked.

"We'll leave that option in reserve. Once Archer's up and running, we'll trick Berserker into attacking Caste's base, evacuate the hostages, grab the kids, and then finish off whoever's still standing." Shirou and Rin flinched as they heard the sound of a fist against a wall. They looked up to find Bethany Seelie glaring at them, her fist imbedded in the wall.

"No." She hissed. "We are not waiting around. We're going to attack him tonight, smash through his fortress, and…"

"…And what Avenger?" Arthas challenged. "Rush headlong to our doom? We don't even know what Caster and Assassin are fully capable of, and given what we've seen they don't fight like their class would normally do. The Last Assassin killed Lancer, and the previous Caster nearly won against Berserker. You do remember that, right?" She looked away, still furious. Arthas placed a hand on her shoulder. "Beth, I understand your frustration. Hell, it's taking all my will not to agree with you. But we have to think. We need numbers and strength. And I can't let myself be controlled by my anger. Not again." She clenched her fists, but she started sobbing. "I promise you, once Archer is up and swearing again, we'll take everything we've got and blow those two to hell."

"Yeah, but what do we do until then?" Rin asked. "It's not like a new ally is going to suddenly show up and say they want to help us."

"A spaceship's approaching from above." Saber warned them suddenly. "I'm sensing three people on board." Shirou was swearing inside. Dammit, hasn't Rider bothered them enough for one night? And how the hell did she track them? Arthas and Avenger armoured up as they ran out the front door, while Shirou and Rin were right behind them. He gave a loud yell as he ran out the front door, but was surprised to see that it _wasn't_ Rider's ship. Not unless she had a different one. A blue fighter jet styled ship was hovering overhead, with the front separated in two and weapons on the wings. Shirou was feeling confused. Were they real aliens, here to investigate Earth?

"Saber, 'suggest' that they land right here. Before they wake the neighbours." Arthas commanded, his expression hidden behind his helmet as he readied his blade. "I think I might have an inkling as to who they are." The ship started wobbling, before zigzagging down towards them. It nearly crashed before the cockpit opened, spitting out a very large man dressed in green spandex. Next to him was a cat-like alien, alongside a girl with what looked like pointed ears. The cat-alien was complaining.

"What were you thinking Quark? Were you trying to crash us or something?" It said as it jumped on top of the man.

"I had a feeling I… had to land the ship. And I think someone said they were feeling stupider just being in my head." The man said as he tried to stand up. Shirou heard Rin gasp behind him, and turned to see her staring at the cat-alien in… horror?

No. Rage.

"You." She growled, pointing a finger at the alien. It turned to stare at her in shock. Was a pointing finger a bad sign back where he came from? "You promised. You lied to me!"

"Rin, wait! I can explain." It started saying. But Rin was in one of her famous 'bad moods'.

"YOU LIED TO ME!" She suddenly screamed as she fired curse after curse. The cat-alien dodged it while she kept blasting, heedless as to who else might get hit. It suddenly threw some device from its hand, causing a giant purple barrier to appear before them. The curses impacted and faded, allowing it to breathe a sigh of relief. While this was happening, Arthas moved up behind her and grabbed her arm, stopping her attack. She shrieked and struggled, hissing and cursing as she did so. But Arthas whispered something, as her movements turned sluggish until she fell asleep. Arthas carefully handed her to Avenger before facing the aliens again.

"Hello Archer. Fancy seeing you here again."

* * *

"Saber." Archer replied, looking surprised to see him. Of course, it _was_ surprising that he was still here. It was surprising that _any_ of them were still here. It should've been that they all returned to the Throne, taking away most signs that they had even been there in the first place, and waiting for the next time someone desired a Holy Grail War.

But all things considered, Archer was probably the most surprising.

"Archer? This guy was the last Archer?" Shirou asked him. "Wow. He's… not really what I'd expect for an Archer."

"That's because you're probably expecting an Archer Servant to use bows to fight. Trust me when I say he's got enough weaponry to classify as an Archer. What I'm curious about is how you're still around. Last I checked you were heading back to the Throne of Heroes."

"You were the one that tried to kill him?" The lady in the spaceship asked angrily, hopping out and walking over. "Stand back everyone. I'm going to give this creep a piece of my…"

"Easy there Talwyn." Archer said quickly, holding her back. "Saber's a _lot_ tougher than he looks. I mean, this guy's ultimate attack managed to beat the Zodiac." She looked at him in shock, allowing Archer to talk to him. "I need to know Saber. Did you kill Kotomine?"

"I tried to." He said truthfully. "My Master blew a hole in his head. He was dead as can be. But then the Grail ended up bringing him back to life, and now he's a priest at the church. And before you go rushing off to finish him, Avenger and I _think_ he might have Berserker as an ally." Archer swallowed, clearly remembering the powerful Servant. "And we've got more problems too. You've travelled back just in time to witness the next Holy Grail War. Come inside, and we'll get you all up to speed. Including the big idiot over there." He grabbed the man by the leg, dragging him in after them all. The ship moved to hover close to the ground, an illusion making it look like a car. Handy.

As he entered the living room, dematerialising his armour as he went, his baggage woke up spluttering. Without looking back, he dropped him and moved to sit down, stepping to the side as his baggage tried to punch him. "Now since there are two groups of Servants, it would be best to refer to the old crowd by name. I was known as Arthas Menethil, Prince of Lorderan. This is Shirou Emiya, Kiritsugu's adopted son. And you already know Ms Tohsaka."

"Name's actually Ratchet." Archer replied as he sat down opposite him. "This here's Clank, this is my girlfriend Talwyn, and that's…"

"Allow me to introduce myself." The large man said loudly as he stood up. "I am Captain Copernicus Quark. Hero of the Polaris Galaxy, previous Galactic President, and Founder of the Elite Q-Force. And I am shocked that _I_ wasn't included in this Throne of Heroes. I mean, I'm a very heroic hero."

"Well, I imagine that's because to qualify for the Throne of Heroes, you have to have died. I imagine that perhaps Ratchet _had_ died at some point in time, and was brought back to life in some manner."

According to Clank, in another timeline I ended up dead. Now can we ignore all that to talk about what's been going on since I lost? Where's your Master anyway?"

"…Kiritsugu died not too long ago. It'll probably make more sense if you let me explain. Now, short version is that the Grail is possessed by an ancient evil called Angra Mainyu. Any wish you make gets twisted to cause the most harm. Now, Emiya, Avenger and myself all agreed to destroy it instead. But doing so created this magical mud that gave me and Avenger flesh and blood bodies, but also caused a massive amount of destruction. The mud also ended up poisoning Emiya, and that's why he died."

…"That's… That's pretty intense. And I'm guessing that's the same stuff that brought Kotomine back to life?"

"That is very peculiar." Clank muttered to himself. "While nanotech is capable of bringing one back from the brink, there is no logical way to revive the dead short of making it so that they never died in the first place."

"From what I've seen, logic isn't really a factor in the War." Arthas snarked.

"Ok then. So who's competing _this_ time?" Ratchet asked him. He took a deep breath before starting.

"Alright then. Saber works for Shirou, and we're teamed up with Archer who obeys Rin. Saber is a human/alien hybrid with psionic powers, giant bladed wings, and a personal army at her disposal. Archer is a crazy lady who uses the most bizarre weapons you can imagine to fight people with. And I'm including some of the weapons you use."

"You forgot to say I'm sexy as, bitch." Archer said drunkenly as she wobbled into the room, startling everyone. Arthas sighed as he saw that she entered without a single stich of clothing. And he made sure she was dressed before he left her to sleep off the fight. "Now, did anyone catch the license plate of that battlecruiser?"

"Good grief ma'am. You are disrobed. Please, for the good of all impressionable children, put something on!" Quark was covering his eyes and looking away. Ratchet on the other hand, was trying his best not to stare. And failing.

"Oh quit bitching, big guy. My tits have only killed one guy. And he died the happiest son-of-a-bitch ever. I should know, he cummed inside me at the time."

"Thank you Archer for showing just how crazy and vulgar you are. Now, the fact you're having trouble standing up tells me that you're still healing, so get back to bed." Arthas said acidly to her.

"Only if someone joins me. I'll take the big guy, you, Shirou, Rin, the cat, the girl, Avenger, and the robot. Chop-chop." As she clapped her hands, she fell over in a heap, swearing.

"Archer, you can either go back and rest by yourself or as an ice cube. Your choice." She glared at him, but she got back up shakily and stumbled back down the hall. He made sure that she closed the door behind her before turning back to the others.

"Well…Yeah…" Ratchet didn't seem to know what to say.

"If it's any consolation, she drives Rin crazy too. Saber's currently regaining prana, but she can still talk to us telepathically."

"I'm not speaking to the green one. I could feel my brain cells dying as soon as I looked inside." Saber said to them all.

"Hey. I'll have you know, my doctor said my lack of…intelli…smart-thing does not kill brain cells."

"Let's not argue." Ratchet interrupted. "You just told us about Archer and Rin. Who's next?"

"Rider. Another space marine girl, but she can summon a squad to help her. And given the way they fight, each of them counts as a Heroic Spirit. She was originally part of our alliance, but we're mostly certain that she's being controlled by Command Seals." Ratchet's hands gripped tighter. Most likely he was remembering how Kotomine controlled him. "Her master is another Matou, except that as far as we can tell he's a magicless hack who relies on bullying to push himself up. We can probably wait for him to mess up and have Rider kill him or something. After them is Lancer. Another girl with a blade of light. She's fast and has her own telekinetic power. We don't really know who's she serving. And after her is Berserker. This one's some kind of demon, and is strong enough to be a problem. We have to keep it away from Angra Mainyu at all costs."

"What kind of evil person would summon a demon as a warrior?" Talwyn asked him.

"The Servants summoned don't seem to have any relation to their master's personality. Caster actually killed his Master for being a murdering scumbag. But as for Berserker's Master, she's an Einzbern Homunculus who's a bit upset that Kiritsugu left her alone."

"Einzbern? Was that not the surname of Emiya's wife?" Clank asked. The robot caught on quick.

"Yep. She seems to be under the impression that Kiritsugu left her because of Shirou, and wants him dead in revenge. But 'luckily' for us, our Berserker is still around even though I killed him. All he told me was that he's a powerful regenerator."

"I can attest to that." Beth said. "I saw Caster pretty much ruin his Reality Marble and he was still around to kill him."

"But what about _this_ Caster?" Ratchet asked. "What's he like?"

"He's a monster." Beth growled. "He kidnapped all the orphans I was looking after and killed my friend. I plan on ripping his guts out when I get the chance."

"But until then, we're going to have to wait." Arthas told her firmly. She was letting her anger take control. "At the very least, we know that Assassin's working for him and can summon an army." If we're planning on stopping him, we need to be at full strength. You and your friends can stay here for now. But this fight will be different from when you were last here."

"I know. But I don't care."

* * *

**(10:30pm, Emiya Residence)**

Arthas went outside to think things over. While the very nature of the Grail War meant that few plans survived contact with the enemy, this was far more chaotic than usual. Caster was running around kidnapping people for The Light-knows-what; Assassin could summon an army to do his bidding; Archer and Rin were both wounded; and Rider was forced to turn against them. Their allies were getting removed and time was growing short.

And he wasn't sure they could win.

"We _will_ win, Arthas." Saber's voice echoed in his head. He checked his mental barriers, still as strong as when he made them. "Once we heal, we'll take the fight to the Temple and crush Caster for good."

"I'm glad you're feeling so optimistic. Personally, I like to plan as though things are always about to go horribly wrong." Arthas looked out to the back lawn, now mutated into a garden of flesh. Saber's purple growth covered the ground, with tendrils writhing around the place. In the center of the lawn was a giant, human-sized green egg, Saber's form curled up inside. It was an abomination. An insult to all living things. It signified a coming force that would twist the living to its own will.

It made him think of himself.

"Before, the way you described yourself sounded _very_ familiar to me." He said as he sat down on the steps. "I'll admit, I'm curious about your history. About what you did in life."

"I could say the same about you. The barriers in your mind are the most well-made I have ever seen. But they still radiate with sorrow and guilt. I will talk, but only if you do too."

"Very well. You go first. I'm sure the world is sick of hearing my tales." One of his undead came out of the kitchen, carrying a tray with two glasses and some wine. Saber's wings stabbed through the hardened membrane, slicing it open to reveal herself. She stepped out of the growth, walking over and taking a glass from him.

"Where to start? I suppose it all began when I was a child and first showed signs of psionic potential. I accidently caused my mother's head to explode, and turned my father into a vegetative state. The government at the time, the Confederates, took me to an academy for people like me. To turn us into soldiers known as 'Ghosts'. I scored so well on all psionic tests that they had to create a new scale just for me. I tried to resist their attempts to control me, but they tampered with my mind and broke me down. By the time I was just entering womanhood, I would already kill without remorse. A far cry from the gentle girl who screamed as her mother blew apart at the seams." She took a long draught at that. "Not long after that, a senator for the world of Korhal declared it independent to the Confederacy, no longer a mere play thing for their whims. So the government responded by sending me and two other ghosts to silence him. We… We killed his family too, slaughtering his wife and his daughter in front of him. I personally beheaded him, as proof of our actions. Later on, I found out that there had been one survivor. His son, Arcturus Mengsk, had been off-world at the time. He found me unconscious from a new Confederate experiment, and took me with all the defecting scientists and research material. I woke up to find that he removed my inhibitor, allowing me to be… myself again. After I found out that the Confederates bombed every world we found our latest experiment at, I agreed to join him in stopping them for good."

"Very impressive. I suppose you'd consider me to be at the opposite end of the spectrum to you. I was born Arthas Menethil, crown prince of Lorderan. I was raised from birth to be the wise prince everyone would love and follow. I cared about my people as any good and noble man would've. In fact, you could say I cared _too much_. If anything threatened them, I would've been willing to do anything to stop them. I eventually became a paladin, a warrior of the Light dedicated to defending the helpless from any threat. One day, I was sent with my mentor, Uther, to fend off attacks from Orcs. It was not difficult, a routine assignment. It was what came afterwards that became my downfall. We returned to Lorderan to find a plague was sweeping through our cities, turning those infected into the Undead. Uther, my ally Jaina, and myself followed the trail back to a necromancer called Kel'thuzad. We slew him and his forces, believing his evil was stopped. But that night, we realised we hadn't even slowed it. He had infected the granaries, poisoning the very food of the people. We had to last through several long, tiring hours until Uther could return with reinforcements. And we followed the grain to the nearby city of Stratholme. But by the time we got there, the grain had already been given to the hungry people. And in my haste to protect as many people as I could, I ordered the city to be purged. Uther and Jaina were wise enough to refuse the order, but I was too angry at their suffering to listen. I banished them, and led whatever men remained in killing my own people. The demon leading the Undead, Mal'Ganis', taunted me to follow him to Northrend. And like a fool, I did." He topped their glasses, trying to think of other things. Even now, those memories still frightened him.

"I understand. For me, as the weeks wore on, I found out that at the time Mengsk was searching for the Ghosts that murdered his family. And we both knew I was part of that group. But in the face of all I had done to aid the Sons of Korhal, he had forgiven me. And like a fool, I believed him. I continued to serve him faithfully, helping him gain more men and resources from every colony we saved, every world the Confederate left to rot or experiment on. On one such mission to free a world, I came across one of our newest members, Jim Raynor. You didn't have to be a telepath to know he was smitten with me. But he was able to focus only on the mission at hand, a good thing since we weren't the only things at war. The 'experiments' I mentioned earlier were now known as Zerg. Their only goal was to infest worlds and twist people into monsters. Jim had been arrested by the Confederates for destroying Confederate property, even though it had been infested by the Zerg. And at the same time, an alien race known only as the Protoss started burning worlds infected by Zerg, not even caring about the millions of civilians they were slaughtering. But Mengsk had a plan for the Zerg. We found out that they were drawn to powerful psionic energy, and we made an emitter to replicate that. The plan was to plant it on the Confederate Capital, Tarsonis, and when the Zerg took the planet the Protoss would burn it all. With their leaders gone, we could replace them with more… noble forms of government. But in the end, when it all went to plan, Mengsk betrayed me. He hadn't forgiven me. He left me there, with millions of Zerg in a broken city. And they didn't kill me. They took me apart and put me back together as one of them. I became a monster again." She turned to face him. "So, how did you fall?"

"I failed to see what I was becoming. I failed to see everything good about me wasting away in the face of my anger. When my men and I arrived in Northrend, we found my old tutor, Muradin, searching for a powerful weapon. One strong enough that it would destroy the Scourge. I kept pushing myself and my men harder and harder, determined to obtain it. Even when word arrived from my father, ordering us to return home, I refused. I used mercenaries to destroy our ships to stop the men from leaving. In the end, I found it guarded by a shade. The guard was not to protect the weapon, though. It was there to protect _us_ from _it_. When I claimed the blade, when I took Frostmourne in hand, the energy wave killed Muradin. I ignored him. I led my men personally to battle, following the whispered orders of the sword, and slew Mal'Ganis with ease. The sword had me flee to the wildlands, with only its power sustaining me. When I returned to my men, I was no longer the man I once was. I was a Servant to the very forces I fought against. I butchered my own men and brought them back as Undead, and then we sailed back home. I returned to my father, and killed him right there in our palace. And with each passing day, more of the lands fell to the Scourge. But eventually, my master's power weakened. The Lich King required me to return to him. Frostmourne had been forged to contain him along with his armour, and when he gave me the sword it led to his power escaping. I fought through all those in my way, and became one with him. _I_ became the Lich King."

"I see. When I fell, I helped the Zerg fight anything in our way. We even managed to attack and infest the Protoss homeworld, until a union between them and Jim's men destroyed the Overmind that controlled us. Without him, I was free. And I wanted revenge. I gained command over half the Swarm, while several cerebrates fused to become powerful enough to command the over half. I worked with the Protoss to take control from them, pretending I was healed. Thanks to them, I gained enough power that nothing would threaten me again. Until years later, when I learnt of an alien artefact that could destroy all the Zerg. Jim worked tirelessly to obtain it, before bringing it to my domain and activating it." She chuckled. "Can you believe that? I had personally slaughtered millions of people. I had led an army that almost took over the entire system. And he saved me for love."

"Love is a powerful force. The love I had for my people was the only thing that allowed me to return to this."

"Yeah well, it wasn't enough to stop me from wanting revenge on Mengsk. Especially after he acted as though he killed Jim. I took command of the Zerg again, fighting tooth and claw to become strong enough to end him. In the end, I gave up my humanity again to become the Queen of Blades, stronger than before. And then I found out that Jim was alive. I personally rescued him. And I'll never forget his face when he saw me. It was like everything he cherished had died that day. I found out that he saved me only because a vison of the future revealed that without me, the galaxy was doomed. All I had left was my hatred for Mengsk. And I took it with all my heart."

"And did you succeed?"

"Oh, I succeeded. And when Jim saw that I wasn't the old me anymore, he forgave me. It was… it was a shame that we knew it wouldn't work out. After that, I devoted every Zerg I had to stopping the evil awaiting us, Amon. It was… hard. He had all my original power; an army of his own; and he had technology more advanced than anything we had seen. And it didn't help that the Protoss were more focused on killing me. Amon almost managed to win before we all started working together again. And even then, I had to sacrifice myself to finish him off permanently. And that's how I ended up here."

"Then I suppose I didn't go out as… heroically as you did. There was no return for me. I was consumed by evil, to become the most powerful and feared monster of all history. Every force out there united to fight back against me, and even with their greatest warriors I still nearly won. I had actually killed them all with my power and was in the process of reviving them as the Undead when Tirion broke free and shattered Frostmourne. With it destroyed, the souls of all those I killed were free. They brought the warriors back to life and trapped me. It was only in the end, when I was a step from death's door that I became myself again. No one will ever speak tales of me being a hero. In Azeroth, I will always be the monster waiting in the shadows. And I accept that. It is a start in atoning for my actions." They sat there for a while, drinking in silence. One perk of being undead was that you couldn't get drunk. He remembered watching as several of his Death Knights tried a drinking contest after they raided a transport.

Neither of them had to say anything else. They knew what the other's life had been like in the end.

* * *

**(Fuyuki Streets Outside Emiya Residence)**

Sakura cursed to herself for losing track of time. She had been wondering where her brother and Rider had gone after she felt a strange twinge from her Command Seals. She found Shinji easily enough, still in his room. But he refused to tell her where Rider had gone. In the end, she had to run around town for the better part of an hour looking for her. It kind of helped that she could jump high over buildings now. She just wished she wasn't wearing a skirt at the time. She landed on the roof of a building, not far from Shirou's place. She hoped he was ok. With all the Servants running around, he could get hurt. He was just the kind of man who wouldn't leave something like this alone. He would've been worried about everyone ready to kill each other, trying to stop them from fighting. She had a flash of Shirou, sliced in half by Saber, decked in his black armour and glowing blue blade, laughing at her horror. She shook her head clear. That wasn't going to happen. The odds of running into another Saber from the last war was far too…

Wait. What the hell happened to Shirou's backyard?

Her vision zoomed in on the yard, noting the strange tar-stuff covering it. There was a tall, boiled covered slug-thing with four spindly arms slithering about an egg inside the shed. And sitting on the decking were two strange-looking people. One was clearly a woman, but mutated into a monster. Completely naked, she had purple scaly skin and growths everywhere, along with two bone-like wings on her back. And she was drinking with…

She gasped, her heart racing a million miles an hour. A man in skull armour and a black cape. By his side was a helmet with three spikes curling upwards, and a jagged blade glowing with blue energy. And his face… His very familiar face…

Arthas Menethil was the Saber that killed her parents.

* * *

**(11:00pm, Mercer Castle)**

A steady stream of rats and bugs flowed through the fields until they reached the abandoned Einzbern Castle. It was certainly looking worse for the wear. Entire sections had collapsed inward, and black pulsating growths filled their place. Tendrils wrapped around a tower, holding it up as best as it could. A giant pile of eggs lay in what had been the garden. The vermin ignored this. They regrouped at the front doors, now cracked and broken. As they piled up on one another, their shape started resembling a man in a black hoodie. Alex Mercer stretched as he pushed the door open.

"Kids, I'm home." He yelled out as he entered, causing the Infected to scurry about. "Homework is to keep an eye on the skies and the ground. I don't want anything getting close without someone knowing about it."

Damn that Berserker. Damn that Einzbern bitch. And damn Kotomine. That was the only way they could've known where he was. Oh sure, Arty-boy could sense his presence at times. But there was no way he could've traced him back to here. After all, who'd set up shop in a wreckage everyone already knew about?

But it worked. So far.

All that work. All the planning and the tests. Wiped clean in seconds. That was _it_. He's gone too far now. Kotomine's always committed the most stupid things just to be evil. It made him seriously reconsider twisting him like that before. Doing whatever you wanted was great, until it impeded his own objectives. But if he was going to attack Kotomine, He was going to have to be careful. That Lancer of his could easily sense him coming, no matter what form he was in. He got a bit sick of going to meet him stealthily, only to find her waiting for him. Sure, he could sneak attack the bitch and the priest while someone else was attacking, but the odds of that weren't in his favour. And she'd still sense them coming long before they got close.

Unless she wasn't working for him anymore.

"Well I _did_ always want to find out what happened when a Servant got conflicting orders." He said to himself as he walked into the main part of his lab. It was risky. It might not even work. But it could still be a good enough distraction for his purposes. He tapped out a few digits on the door to reveal the incubating chamber. Inside were several pulsating tubes, most of them empty. But in the center one was a lady with magenta hair (Seriously? She was born with Magenta hair? What was this, an anime?) and a rather slim figure. Umbilical cords were implanted into her body, pumping nutrients and Blacklight into her system. She was already faster and stronger than any other non-Servant alive. Well, almost any other.

"Wakey, wakey, Irish lady." Alex muttered, standing right in front of her and pumping hormones into her body. "It's your lucky day."

"Today's your birthday."

**Ok, 'Today's your birthday' probably isn't the most awesome way to have a cliffhanger (then again, Red vs Blue did it). But I wanted to introduce a few new people. First off, YAY! Ratchet's back. He can't summon all his weapons anymore or restock ammo so easily, but he's still got enough WMDs to challenge a strong Servant. And Bazett's waking up. I always planned on her coming back as an Evolved. I just never thought of when I'd introduce her. For those of you not in the know, Kotomine used her to summon Lancer and backstabbed her. She only really shows up in **_**Fate/Hollow Ataraxia**_**, with Avenger as her Servant. Also, Sakura knows that Arthas is at Shirou's place. You can bet she's going to steal Rider back to get her revenge. Man, everytime they think they' re ready to fight Caster, something else always comes up. When will she make her strike? Find out.**

**And yeah, Rin's lost an arm. Ouch. I originally planned to have Alex make her one when I remembered Abathur. Silly me. I can imagine Saber spending three hours banning plenty of modifications, only for him to sneak one in anyway. That crazy Abathur.**

**Oh, and we got to see Urdnot Wrex, one of the Second Most Badass people in Mass Effect. I know that he wouldn't really be able to fight and kill two Ultralisks with his bare hands, but considering he thought fighting a Reaper on foot was the fun part it wouldn't be out of the question. Besides, it's more fun this way.**

**And finally, sorry about the info dump heavy second half. Not everyone who's reading this would know who some of the Servants are, and you'd need a backstory to place them. I'm going to try my best not to have a whole chapter of info dumps like Fate of the Strong. And for those who've read that story, sorry for rehashing Arthas' backstory again. I wanted to show why those two are so similar.**

**Well, that's all. See you guys next chapter.**


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